Full Potential
by RngrThorne
Summary: Kim learns that her DNA doesn't quite rock the way she thought it did. I don't own these characters, just borrowed them. Chapter 4 up for Christmas!
1. Chapter One

**FULL POTENTIAL:** a Kim Possible fanfiction

by Ranger Thorne

This story was started before _So The Drama_ was aired. This is a revised version, with the intent to fix the spacing problems and any other problems I found. Thank you for keeping your interest in the story. Special thanks to the White Lady Of The Ring.

* * *

"Shego, what's that?" Drakken asked as they flew off in the small helicopter. The flashes of light from the exploding lair reflected on the windows, reminding them of another defeat.

"This?" Shego pulled some long hairs from her clawed left hand. "I caught some of Kimmie's hair when I swung at her. Hey!" She protested as the mad scientist grabbed them from her. Frowning, she warned, "Remember what we said about cloning, Dr. D?"

He was confused for a second. Then, he shook his head, "Shego, this isn't about cloning. It's about something I saw that finally registered." With no change of expression, he added, "I guess watching _Sports Center_ before Kim Possible showed up actually did some good."

Drakken looked at the hair, forgetting to operate the helicopter. Seeing this, Shego reached out and took over the controls. "I'd rather be driving anyway," she muttered to herself. To the blue-skinned genius she asked, "Okay, what did you finally notice?"

"Our dear 'basic, average girl' has a vertical leap of almost twenty feet." He grinned at her, "No normal person can do that."

"I can," Shego pointed out.

"You can do a lot of things normal people can't do," Drakken countered. "No," he looked at the hairs, "I strongly suspect that Kim Possible is either a mutant or has been mutated."

"And the difference is?"

"A mutant, Shego," he told her, "is born with the genetic mutation built in. Someone who is mutated is altered after conception. Like you and your brothers." Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small bag. He placed the hairs inside, then sealed it. "I'm going to find out which. Then," his grin became larger, "I'll know her deepest secret."

Skeptical, she asked, "And this will help us how?"

Rubbing his hands together, he looked out the window of the helicopter. "Think of it, Shego. A teenager who has a secret like that revealed would be shunned by everyone around her. She'd become an outcast. Feared and hated by the world at large."

"Gee," Shego frowned at him, "I wonder what that's like."

He turned to her, "You quit the hero biz for a reason, right?"

A light suddenly went on. "You mean," she began to grin, "once Kimmie's secret is out, she'll stop trying to save a world that suddenly hates her." Removing a hand from the controls, she patted him on the arm, "That might almost work."

Suddenly serious, he asked, "What do you mean, 'almost?'"

"You forget about how devoted her family is. And Stoppable, too."

"Who?"

Shego rolled her eyes, "The sidekick."

"Oh. I can never remember his name." Drakken frowned, "Well, with the fallout of the big revelation, there's a chance that her family would be ruined. And," he began to grin again, "since they're still minors, the buffoon's family might keep him from helping her on her little missions."

"Meaning she'd be on her own in a world that doesn't want her anymore."

"I think," he eyed the bag with his maniacal grin reaching from ear to ear, "this might be the best day of my life."

Smirking, Shego tried to sound hurt, "And here I thought that was the day you met me."

He glared at her for a moment, "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Ooh," she replied, undaunted, "I'll just sit back and watch the show."

* * *

"Listen up, people," Barkin snapped from the front of the room. "Miss Elliot will be back tomorrow. So, I'm going to make sure you have something to give her to say 'welcome back.'" He leaned over the desk, "Now, any questions before we get to work?"

_Just one,_ Ronald Dean Stoppable thought, _where'd you get the bad John Wayne accent?_ As usual, he was finding the class boring. He tried to keep up, though. If for no other reason that the teenage girl sitting next to him. _Don't want KP to be disappointed. _Out of habit, he glanced over at her as she sat with her pen ready to take notes.

Kimberly Ann Possible was a redhead with green eyes and a figure that, Ron knew, drove most of the guys in school crazy. It wasn't the abundance of cleavage, but the overall athleticism of her physique that he'd heard commented on many a time. She was dressed differently from normal, in a long-sleeved button down blouse to hide a large bruise on her right arm. Otherwise, she was in her usual blue pants and sneakers. Her long hair reached to the middle of her back, framing her expressive face perfectly. _She's almost an angel_, Ron thought. _An avenging one if she gets her hands on Shego. Her head is still sore from that near miss._

"Stoppable!"

"Huh?" He perked up as he heard the teacher call his name.

"You seemed out of it for a minute. You think you could pull yourself together long enough to answer the question?"

"Sure," he lied. "Uh, what was the question again?"

As her best friend tried to fake his way through the interrogation Mr. Barkin was giving him, Kim sighed. _I know he studied last night,_ she thought. _So why does he always seem so unprepared?_ An eyebrow shot up when she heard him finally stumble through the correct answer. _Okay, I guess he was paying attention after all._ She turned to look at the teacher, having long ago figured out that he preferred to call on those not looking his way. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she glanced at Ron.

He was thin, almost gangly. But, Kim knew, was stronger than he looked or acted. _He's like the Hulk from the comics he use to read. He gets stronger when he's mad. But,_ she reminded herself, _everyone gets that way. Adrenaline and all that._ He was dressed the same as always. A red jersey worn over a long sleeved black shirt. His cargo pants moved slightly as his pet naked mole rat, Rufus, shifted in his sleep. With a sigh, Ron ran a hand through his short blond hair. _He's got big hands for his size,_ Kim thought. _He ever grew into them he'd be eight feet tall._ She looked back at Barkin just in time to see him move his gaze from her to a girl in the front of the class who was looking almost asleep.

"Miss Flanner!"

_I don't think Barkin can look up a question Justine can't answer,_ Kim thought with a grin. Sure enough, three minutes later, the sandy-haired girl was still lecturing the teacher. She kept the attention of the class long enough for the bell to ring.

"Nice job, Justine," Kim congratulated her as they got out of the class.

With a shrug, the girl replied, "I didn't want the extra homework. Besides," she frowned, "I have three patents in gravity field technology. For him to ask me about what gravity was is insulting." Turning, she left the redhead standing in the hallway, smirking.

_Deet-deet-dee-dee!_

Reaching into her pocket, Kim pulled out the source of the notes. The blue 'kimmunicator' looked a lot like a pda, but with more features than a room full of gadgets. The screen lit up to show an African-American boy of about 10. He looked at her and grinned, "Hey, Kim. I just wanted to tell you that Global Justice has finished cleaning up the mess Drakken left behind." The reproduction quality was so good that it sounded like he was standing next to her.

"Thanks, Wade. Any leads on where they headed?"

"The helicopter vanished heading South. Could be Shego insisted on a vacation somewhere warm." He raised an eyebrow, "Also, I got a hit on the sight. It seems someone stole some equipment from a lab in Miami last night. That's odd," he added as his fingers flew across the keys. "This looks more like DNAmy than Drakken."

"Genetic equipment?" Kim closed her eyes.

"Genetic equipment?" Ron, who had just walked up, glanced at Wade. "Is Drakken back in the cloning business or did DNAmy show up?"

"No," Wade told him, "she's still in federal custody. In fact," he glanced at a different screen, "she's even started a Cuddlebuddies Fan Club for felons."

"Hey," Ron grinned at Kim, "if you ever go off the deep end maybe they'll let you join."

"Ron, that is _so_ not funny," she glared at him. Turning back to Wade, she saw him try to hide his grin. "That goes for you, too, Wade. Besides," she smirked, "if I did 'go off the deep end,' I'd take both of you with me."

"I never thought otherwise," Ron told her.

"Same here," Wade agreed. "Anyway, I'll look into what was taken in Miami and see if it looks like Drakken's work."

"Meaning Shego," Ron interpreted.

"Yeah," Wade's eyes widened. "Catcha later."

"Yeah, later Wade." As the screen went dark, Kim went to scratch her head, then flinched. "Ow!"

"Head still sore?" Ron asked her.

"Yeah." She rubbed the spot. "I guess I should be glad she didn't leave a bald spot."

"Yeah, after all, it's the guy who's supposed to go bald, not the girl."

"Are you saying you'd rather go bald than me, Ron?" Kim grinned at him, then added, "That's so sweet."

Confused, he blinked at her as they moved down the hall. "Is that what I said?" he finally asked.

Rufus popped his head out of the pocket of Ron's cargo pants and glared at Kim. Seeing this, Kim smiled at him, "Not that there's anything _wrong_ with being bald, Rufus. It's just that some people just don't look right that way." Rubbing her head, she added, "Like me, for instance."

Rufus glared for a moment, then ran a paw over his head and said what sounded like, "Baldy." A moment later, he was back in his home away from home.

* * *

"There!" Drakken rubbed his hands together as he looked at the computer screen.

"Huh?" Shego started from across the room. She had her feet up on the table and had actually been asleep. Now, blinking quickly, she stood. "What? Who's here?"

Confused, Drakken watched her for a moment. "Shego," he finally asked, "what are you doing?"

"Oh," she sat back down, "I thought maybe Possible had shown up or something." She yawned, "I'm going to go back to sleep, then."

"Here I've made the discovery that will get Kim Possible out of our hair once and for all, and all you want to do is sleep?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Shego agreed. Seeing his unhappy glare, she gave up and sauntered over to him. "Okay," she asked, "what's this big discovery?"

As usual, his mood swung in an instant. Now almost giddy, he pointed at the screen, "I was right. Kim Possible is a mutant."

"I thought you said she 'might' be a mutant." Shego put her hands on her hips, "Either that or mutated."

"I meant," he was irritated again, "that there had to be something different about her DNA."

"Oh," she nodded. _I just love getting him riled like that_, she thought to herself. "So she was born with this mutation?"

"Oh, yes." Back to giddy. "I can tell from the way the mutation is nestled into the DNA. You, on the other hand, have a mutation grafted onto your otherwise normal DNA strands."

"Hey," she threatened, "watch who you're calling 'normal.'"

"Uh," he backed down, "sorry." He scratched his head, "The one thing I can't figure out is this biochemical mutagenic inhibitor."

"A what?"

Drakken shook his head, "It's a chemical that's keeping her from fully mutating."

"You mean she's not?" Shego leaned against the table, "And you said it's artificial?"

"That's right." He rubbed his chin, "Either our little Kimmie is trying to keep from mutating, or someone else is working to prevent it." Looking at his henchwoman, he said, "Shego, I want you to find out which."

She scowled, "And how do I do that, ask her?"

"No," he smirked, "you break into her home while she and her family are away. Search her room for clues, then the rest of the house if you need to. But bring me the source of this compound."

"I don't know," she said, putting a finger to her chin. "Is it possible we're better off with the status quo? I mean, what if she becomes too powerful to stop or control?"

"Then she'll be an even bigger outcast," he grinned.

"And if she decides on revenge?"

His grin faded. For a moment, fear was visible in his eyes. Then, after a shake of his head, he said, "Nonsense. She'll be too busy hiding from the world. Now," he made shooing motions with his hands, "go on and find me that mutagenic inhibitor."

* * *

Ron leaned back against his locker and closed his eyes. However, as he slowly began to slip off to sleep, the handle on the locker dug into his arm, waking him up. "Ah, man," he whispered, "I can't catch a wink."

"Hey, Ron," Kim said as she approached. "You okay? I was kinda worried when you didn't come by the house this morning."

"Late start," he explained. He could see her looking him over, and knew what she'd see. He was exhausted. "I didn't sleep well last night," he explained. "I kept having these weird dreams, and when I'd wake up it would be like I'd been running a marathon."

"That's kinda strange," Kim replied. "I didn't think the last mission was that odd."

"No," he shook his head, "that's not it. It was like I was," he paused, then shook his head, "I don't know where I was, but it was weird."

"You gonna make it through the day?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be okay, KP," he said with a grin. The, after a yawn, he added, "Just keep me awake. I was so sleepy this morning I forgot Rufus."

"Now that _is_ a bad sign," Kim told him. As she turned away to head to class, she felt herself missing the naked mole rat. _I guess I've gotten use to having him around._

_Deet-deet-dee-dee!_

Pulling the Kimmunicator from her pocket, she hit the switch, then asked, "What's the sitch?"

"Kim," Wade's face carried a frown, "I just got word that your home's alarm system was just activated."

"Someone's breaking into KP's house?" A suddenly very awake Ron asked.

"That's not all," Wade said, hitting a button. "Those security cameras your dad installed caught the intruder on film." The image changed to show a black and white figure creeping into the back yard. Before they had been on screen for more than a few seconds, Kim and Ron had identified her.

"Shego?" the asked in unison.

"That's her, all right. I don't know what she's doing in there, since there aren't any cameras in the house."

"Yes, there is," Ron interrupted. "There's one on KP's computer."

"But the computer has to be turned on," Kim reminded him. Then, she squinted at Wade. "Or does it?"

"Hmm," Wade rubbed his chin. "Computers don't usually shut down completely. They have to keep their clocks up to date. Let me try to see if I can get it running. Maybe I can get it to record, anyway." He looked at Kim, "You might want to get over there and stop her before she can set any traps or something."

"You're right, Wade," Kim said, frowning. "Thanks for telling me." She shut off the device and put it into her pocket. Then, she turned to leave.

"I take it we're not going to History?" Ron asked as he fell into step beside her.

"I'm going to make _Shego_ history if she's done anything to the house," she hissed in reply.

* * *

"I don't get it," Ron said as he looked around Kim's room. "You say nothing's missing?"

Standing in the middle of a mess that had previously been a bedroom, Kim took a visual headcount of her belongings. "I don't see anything," she told him. "Wait," she held up a hand, "I hear something."

"It's your Dad," Ron told her. A few seconds later, Kim's father stuck his head up into her room.

"Kim?" he asked, seeing her. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Wade told me Shego broke into the house," she answered. "What are you doing home?"

"The security alarm went off," he explained as he came up into her room. "Must have been when she broke in." He glanced around, "The rest of the house okay?" he asked.

"Other than she took the leftover Chinese from the fridge," Ron said, looking annoyed.

"But, why would she break in?" Kim asked. She looked at her bed and stopped. Her bed had been propped up, using the chair to hold it in place. "Does she think I'm going to really sleep at that angle?" She reached out to pull the chair from the mattress when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Leave it," Dr. Possible told her. Looking at him, she was startled to see anger and panic mixing in his eyes. "You should go back to school. Your mother and I will help you clean it up later."

"Okay," she said. "Let me just . . ."

"Now, Kimmie," he said, sounding stern. Looking at Ron, he added, "You, too, young man."

"Uh," Ron nodded, "sure." He took his friend's arm, "Come on, KP. We can still make math."

He waited until he was sure they were out of the room before he swallowed hard and moved next to the bed. Kneeling, he reached beneath the bed for something. When his hand came back empty, he swallowed again. Then, standing, he looked around the room before heading down the stairs. As he did, the small light on the computer blinked off.

"I can't believe it took all weekend to get this back in order," Ron said, sitting on the foot of Kim's bed. "You really don't need _all_ those clothes, do you?"

"Ron, how many clothes I have is so _not_ the issue," Kim reminded him as she stood in the center of the room. "It's how they got thrown around that's the issue."

"A point I am not arguing," Ron told her. "I was just saying that, if you didn't have so many clothes, you wouldn't have to spend an entire weekend putting them back in the closet."

"It's kept my mind off of killing Shego," Kim pointed out. Then, she began to pace, "If I ever get my hands on that little harpy, I'm gonna . . ." she stopped and growled, "I'll tear her head off!"

_Deet-deet-dee-dee!_

"What's the sitch?" she asked Wade as she held up the kimmunicator.

"Kim, are your folks home?" Wade asked, looking nervous.

"They're downstairs," she told him. "Why?"

"I have something to show you, but I don't think it's something you want them to know you've seen."

Despite her confusion, she glanced at Ron, "Let's go for a walk."

* * *

They finally settled on a bench in a remote area of the park. "So," Kim said as she looked at Wade's image, "what don't you want my folks to see?"

"Well," he looked guilty, "I managed to get the computer to record off of the web cam just as Shego got into your room. Look at this." He hit a switch and his image was replaced with a video of Shego entering the room. She frowned, then headed to the closet. A few seconds later, Kim's clothes were strewn about as the villainess searched. After searching the closet, she went through all the drawers in the room.

"I thought I was mad when I saw the mess the first time," Kim grumbled.

"Oh, it gets weirder," Wade warned. "Here she goes." As if on cue, the figure on the screen looked at the bed while rubbing her chin. Grabbing a chair, she wedged it under the side of the mattress. Then, lying on her back, Shego slid under the bed as if working under a car. She bent her right leg while she struggled to get leverage on something under the box springs, then seemed to flinch. A small cloud of something puffed out from under the bed just before Shego climbed madly from beneath it. Coughing, she waved a hand in front of her face.

"What's that in her hand?" Ron asked.

"I've augmented the image. Here," the footage was replaced with a still shot of Shego's hand holding what looked like an oversized CO2 cylinder.

"What's that doing under your bed, KP?" Ron asked the redhead.

"I didn't know it was there," she admitted. "Wade, do you think she put it there?"

"Then why would she wander around trying to find it?" came the reply. Before Kim could reply, he went on, "Besides, I also got this." Kim saw herself and Ron standing in the room talking to her father. After the two left, a worried look appeared on his face. Then, kneeling, he reached under the bed as if searching for something. When his hand came back empty, he looked even more worried than before.

"Hey," Ron said, picking up on something at the worst time, "Mr. Dr. P knew there was something under your bed."

She scowled at him, "Thanks, Ron, I never would have guessed." Glancing at the screen, she saw that Wade was once again looking out at her. "Any idea what that was, Wade?"

"No idea," he admitted. "But, if your folks put it there once, they might have replaced it."

"You mean," Ron said, looking spooked, "I could have been walking right by this," words failed him, "uh, whatever it is?"

Standing, Kim seemed to hold the kimmunicator in a death grip, "Let's find out."

* * *

Nervously, Ron followed Kim as they walked into the house and past the living room, where the parents and Kim's twin brothers were watching television. Going up to her room, they looked at each other before Kim pulled the chair next to the bed.

"Okay, now," she told Ron, "when I lift the bed, you slide the chair under it. Then I want you to stand watch."

"You - you got it, KP," Ron said, saluting. Grabbing the chair, he watched at Kim braced herself, then lifted the bed high enough for him to slide the chair under the frame. Being careful to seat the bed solidly on the chair, she let it down.

"I'll stand watch," he said, pointing toward the door. Behind him, Kim nodded as she lowered herself to the floor.

As he stood watch, he heard his best friend grunt twice. Then, after a low growl, she hissed, "Help me with this."

Coming back, Ron again watched as Kim lifted the bed. After he moved the chair, she set it on the floor. Then, she showed him what she had discovered.

"It's just like the one Shego found," Ron remarked.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Only this one has some markings on it from the space center."

"You mean your dad brought this home? Okay, I'm confused." Kim turned from him to lift her mattress. "What's up now?"

"This," Kim pointed to a plate that was resting between the box springs and the mattress. "I wonder what it does?"

"Maybe Wade can tell us," Ron suggested as he motioned toward her computer.

"Good idea," she replied. A few seconds later, the 10-year-old was frowning.

"Looks like a pressure pad," he reported. "And what you've described sounds like it was set up to release a set amount of whatever is in that tube whenever you went to bed at night."

Holding up the cylinder, Kim asked, "Think you can analyze this?"

Wade thought for a long moment. Finally, he said, "I could, but I'd need it here."

"Road trip to Wade's house!" exclaimed Ron.

"But, what if your folks check your bed again?" Wade asked Kim.

"I'll take my chances," she said, looking angry. "If they think I took it, maybe they'll tell me what's going on."

"You know," Ron told her, "you could always ask." Seeing the death-glare, he stepped back, raised his hands in front of him, and said, "Just a suggestion, KP. Someone had to say it."

"They've kept it a secret this long, I'll keep what I know a secret for a while." Crossing her arms, she grumbled, "There had better be a good explanation for this."

* * *

Wade looked at the readout, then shook his head. The gas that had been in the cylinder had been so complex that it had taken him days to break it down and analyze it. And he still didn't believe it. But, he knew from the call he had gotten from Kim only an hour earlier that she wasn't going to just let it go.

"This isn't going to be pretty." Turning to his main system, he pulled up all he had on his friend's DNA. "Hmm," he frowned, "I've never really looked at the specifics of it before." His eyes widened as he ran a test. "Oh, no. Does Kim . . ." Wade sighed, "She couldn't know. If she did, she'd know what this was for."

For the first time in his life, his room felt crowded. "Maybe she'll get too busy to call," he hoped aloud.

* * *

". . . And, like magic, there was a new one there the next day," Kim said as she glowered at Ron.

"Hmph," came the reply as Ron grunted through a mouthful of food. To Kim's near-delight, he waited until after he swallowed to talk. "It just doesn't make sense, KP. Why would your parents have this stuff under your bed? I mean, if it was something to slow you down, I could understand."

"Slow me down? Ron," she asked, confused, "why would they want to slow me down?"

"You know," he waved the hand not holding his soda, "to keep you from going out and risking your life."

"Oh," she comprehended him, now. "If they wanted to keep me from saving the world they could have put something in there to make me more docile."

"'Docile,'" Ron looked away as he thought. "That's a school word, right?"

_Same old Ron_, she thought with a fond smile. "It means making me more calm and controllable."

"Can't see that happening," he said with a grin. "Too much Kimness. If it didn't get out you'd explode!"

"Explode," agreed Rufus from the middle of a rapidly shrinking pile of cheese nachos.

"But that brings me back to my original problem," Kim frowned. "If it wasn't for that, what was it for?"

"Wade ever get it ana," he frowned, then tried again, "figured out?"

"After the way he glared at me when I asked a few days ago, I'm almost afraid to call him," Kim admitted. "He looked like he was going to try to hit me with something." With a sigh, she crossed her arms on the table and let her head fall onto them. "Maybe I'm just too wrapped up in this."

A crunching sound preceded a muffled, "Maybe," from Ron.

"After all," she said without looking up, "it could just be some kind of vitamins or something, right?"

"Never thought of that." More chewing sounds made Kim decide to not look up.

"And they are my parents. They love me, and wouldn't do anything to hurt me, right?"

After an audible swallow, Ron said, "Yeah. I mean, if they were going to do terrible things to you, they'd have done it by now, right?"

Not knowing if he was serious or kidding, she looked at him. "You've watched too many late night movies, Ron."

"Always helps to be prepared in case of alien takeover," Ron replied with a grin. Then, he pointed at her, "You've got cheese in your hair, KP."

"Perfect end to a perfect day," Kim grumbled as she grabbed a napkin.

* * *

"Shego," Drakken ordered, "hold still."

"I don't need a shot," she protested. She was sitting in a chair, wearing a long green and black flannel nightgown. Over her shoulders was draped a black blanket. "I just need to get over the effects of that gas." Scowling, she looked up at him, "What were those long words you used, again? A bio-metagena-something?"

"A biochemical mutagenic inhibitor," he told her. Then, with a shrug, he placed a small hypodermic needle on a small table. "And it seems that it's ability to inhibit mutation has caused your mutation to go dormant." Looking wistful, he added, "Powerful stuff."

"Yeah, yeah," say the raven-haired criminal. "Any idea when I'll be back to normal?"

"If you'd just let me give you an injection of my biochemical mutagenic inhibitor neutralizer," he explained,"you'd be right as rain in a few minutes."

"Well," she glowered at him, "why didn't you say so?"

He looked hurt, "You wouldn't listen."

Her argument grown feeble, she held out her arm and grumbled, "It's just that all those long words makes my head hurt. Ow!"

"There," Drakken, who had bent over to give the shot, straightened up. Then, reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a lollipop. "Here, better now?"

Shego glared at him for a moment, then, grabbed the lollipop. Keeping herself wrapped in the blanket she unwrapped the lollipop and put it her mouth. Then, as she sucked on it, she grumbled, "Peachy."

* * *

Wade knew as soon as his computer beeped that he had run out of time. A rock settled in his stomach as the redhead appeared on the monitor. His equipment showed that she was using the computer in her locker instead of her kimmunicator. "Uh, what's up, Kim?" he asked.

Smiling politely, Kim shrugged and said, "Oh, just wondering if you'd had enough time to analyze that mixture I brought you."

"Yeah," Wade looked nervous.

Kim glanced at Ron, who was staring over her shoulder. "This must be a bad thing," Ron whispered to her.

"Wade," Kim asked, "is this something I'm going to regret knowing about?"

"Probably," he grudgingly admitted. "But, if Dr. Drakken and Shego knows about it, you should, too." He pressed a button, causing the printer on the computer to start printing. "My analysis shows that the gas is a biochemical mutagenic inhibitor."

"Woe, woe," Ron waved a hand. "What was that?"

"For once I agree with Ron," Kim said, confusion on her face.

"It's a chemical compound that keeps mutations under control."

"Mutation?" Ron's eyes widened, "You mean like Gill?"

"Actually," Wade grinned, "I think this stuff is the base used to reverse the mutations caused by Wannaweep. It comes from the military. And, get this," he leaned forward, "I checked the records, and there's a D. Cleese listed as the creator."

"Cleese," Kim rubbed her chin, "why does that sound familiar?"

"Duh," Ron chimed in. "KP, isn't that your mother's maiden name?"

"Yeah." Her eyes bulged, "Wait, Dana Cleese? Wade --"

"I checked, it's her." Shrugging, he said, "Most of what she did was so classified, I don't think it's even on a computer."

"So why is this under KP's bed?" Ron asked him.

His face fell before Wade answered, "It's to keep her mutation in check."

"My WHAT?"

"KP," Ron leaned slightly on his friend, "keep it down. You don't want everyone to hear this."

"Uh," she glanced at the empty hallway, then glared at Ron, "Ron, there's no one there."

After looking around himself, he shrugged and said, "Hey, there could have been."

Rolling her eyes, she looked back at the monitor. "Are you saying I'm some kind of mutant?" The look in her computer guru's eyes answered the question. "But," she argued, "I can't be a mutant. I mean," she looked down, "I'm perfectly normal."

"That's probably because of the biochemical mutagenic inhibitor," Wade told her.

"Can we just call it the gas?" Ron requested. "Those long words are giving me a headache."

Wade glared at him for a second, then looked back at Kim. "The mutation is unusual. It could just be something like heightened speed or maybe your leaping ability."

"You mean I could just be a super athlete?"

"Or you could turn green if the," he glanced at Ron, "_gas_ wears off."

Kim felt a chill run down her spine. When she spoke, her voice sounded small, "But I'm normal."

"KP," Ron said, gently, "how many normal girls can slam dunk a basketball while flipping over the top of the goal?"

"I never really thought about it," she admitted. "I just thought I was in great shape. That, and being a cheerleader . . ." She seemed to slump, "I'm a mutant."

"You're Kim Possible," Ron corrected, nudging her with an elbow. "And you're still my best friend."

"Hey," Wade also protested, "nothing's changed here, either." With a sigh, he added, "I should have seen it earlier, though. Sorry about that."

"You didn't have a reason to look," Kim told him as she pulled the paper out of the printer. "I take it this is the specifics of my DNA?" She asked, all business.

"And the chemical makeup of the gas. I figured if you wanted to talk to your folks you might want something to bring you up to speed."

"Hey, wait," Ron asked. "This stuff stops mutations, right?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't Shego get a face full of this stuff?" When Kim and Wade stared at him, he asked, "Well, she did come out from under that be with a cloud of smoke."

"But it's temporary, right?" Kim asked Wade.

He smiled, "Oh, yeah. I'll have some of it whipped into a dart you can use on her by the end of the day."

"Please and thank you," She smiled back. As the screen went dark and she closed the locker, however, the smile faded. "Well," she groaned as she leaned her head against the door, "at least I might have something to stop Shego with."

"Kim," Ron put a hand on her shoulder, "you okay?"

When she looked up at him, he was shocked to see a couple of tears on her cheeks. "Ron," she said in a rough voice before stopping to swallow, "I'm not a 'basic average girl.'"

"No," he agreed as he leaned a shoulder against the locker next to where she was. "If you really were, KP, would you have been able to help all those people?"

She thought about it. "I, I guess not." Then, the straightened, "Ron, if that stuff was keeping me from mutating, but I was still able to do everything, what will happen if I let this stuff wear off?"

"Uh," images of the mutated Gill and himself flashed through his mind. Then, with a shake of his head, he suddenly had a flash of an image that was there, then gone.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

"You looked out of it for a second."

"Hey," he protested with a grin, "we're worrying about _you_ here, remember? And don't worry about me, KP. With your luck, you'll probably look like a supermodel, only better."

A smile crossed her feature. "Thanks, Ron. It's nice to know I can count on you to be blindly optimistic."

"Eh," he shrugged, "we all have our roles to play in life."

"Something from Everlot?"

"Fortune cookie."

* * *

"Mom, Dad?" Kim talked to herself in her room. "Why didn't you tell me I'm a mutant?" She shook her head, "That's too forward. Maybe," she shook her head again, causing her red hair to fly around, "stupid." She sat on the bed, only to jump off of it a second later. Kneeling, she felt under it and frowned. "Still there," she whispered as she turned and sat on the floor.

_Deet-deet-dee-dee!_

Pulling the kimmunicator from the backpack next to her, she leaned her head back as she said, "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"I think Drakken has set a trap for you," he said without preamble. "He's moved back to one of his old lairs in Middleton. And he's been very careless about it."

"You think he's figured out the bio --" she paused, then went on, "the gas?"

"If he's figured it out, there's a chance he might have developed an antidote."

"Antidote?" Kim looked at him and blinked. "Why would there be an antidote?"

"Well," he shrugged, "if Shego got a whiff, he'd need it to get her back up to speed so she could be there to protect him. And," he looked at her with sympathy, "he could be trying to cause your mutation to develop spontaneously."

Smirking, Kim said, "Ron would ask if they were trying to make me explode." When Wade grinned, she went on, "You really don't know what's going to happen, do you?"

"No idea. Sorry." He shrugged, "DNAmy might be able to figure it out, but I don't think she's going to want to help you out any time soon."

"Yeah." Standing, she asked, "You know where Drakken is?"

"Like I said, Kim, it's a trap."

"Well, if he thinks that I'm going to spend my life afraid of my own genes, he's wrong." Her face stern, she said, "I'll get Ron."

* * *

"Are you really sure this is a good idea, KP?" Ron asked as they approached the building.

"I'm not letting Drakken scare me into not coming after him," Kim repeated again.

"I was referring to taking the same way in we used last time."

She stopped and looked at him. "He would think we'd go the same way," she mused.

"How about we try the front door?" When she looked at him with skepticism, he smirked and said, "They wouldn't be expecting it."

With a smirk of her own, she answered, "Why do you think going in the back way keeps working?"

"Oh," he nodded. "He keeps expecting us to use the front door to be different." His smirk turned into a grin, "So I guess it's the usual way, then?"

"Hey," she shrugged, "the front door is the normal way to do it."

Ron looked stricken for a moment. Then, as they began to circle around to the side of the building, he pulled out his grappling gun and said, "You're right, KP. 'Never be normal,' is the Ron Stoppable motto."

"That and pass the naco," she teased.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy."

"Uh, huh." Holding up her own grappling gun, she said, "Well, 'growing boy,' let's go get the bad guys."

"Right with you, KP."

* * *

"Uh, Kim," Ron whispered a short time later, "where is everybody?"

"Waiting for us to fall into the trap?" she replied.

"I thought that was a bad thing," Ron said, frowning.

"Oh, it is," a different voice said. As the wall next to them slid down, transparent ones rose to box the two heros in. Drakken grinned wildly as he looked at the two. "Trust me, this trap is a very. Bad. Thing."

Kim noticed a figure standing behind Drakken. "What's the matter, Shego, afraid to take me on by yourself?"

Shego blinked at her for a moment. Then, she walked up to the transparent wall and said, "After this, we'll see."

"After what?" Ron asked, looked from the villains to Kim.

"A little gene therapy," Shego said with a smirk. Looking back at Drakken, she said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"But I hadn't ranted, yet," he protested.

"How about you do it as they get the gas?" She suggested. "It'll be nice and dramatic."

"An excellent idea, Shego," he said, grinning again. Holding up a small remote, he pressed the button. A slight hissing noise began, but nothing visible appeared.

"Uh, KP," Ron looked at her, "is gene therapy a bad thing?"

"It is if he's figured out an antidote for Mom's inhibitor," came the reply. She started to reach for something in her pocket, only to find the room suddenly beginning to sway. "R - Ron," she managed to say as she started to fall.

Ron caught her before she could strike her head on the floor. As he finished lowering her to the ground, he shook his head. "Where'd this noise come from?" he yelled as he put his hands over his ears.

"Noise?" Drakken looked at Shego, "You think he's a mutant, too?"

"No, he's just weird," Came the reply. Frowning, she said, "You were right, Dr. D. That stuff did take her down quick."

"Invisible and without a scent," Drakken said, proud. "You know, I almost put in a bit of a fresh scent. You know, so the lair would smell better." Seeing the glare from the woman, he shrugged, "But I didn't did I?"

"Good choice," Shego growled. Then, she grinned, "Now, let down this wall so I can finish them both off."

"Shego," Drakken looked stricken, "that's not how we do things. Besides," he grinned, "I want to see what happens."

"Then how about we tie them up?"

"Sounds like a plan," Drakken said as he held out the remote and touched a button.

Ron had managed to listen through the din in his head. It was like a million monkeys were chittering at him while he could hear Kim screaming. _If they reach us, we're done for,_ he thought. When the idea struck him, he nodded once, then reached for the Kimmunicator.

The modification took only seconds. But it was long enough for the wall to come down almost all the way. Holding the device away, Ron activated it. The sonic backlash was terrible, but the invisible beam of sound cut away at the ceiling, causing it to crash down between the villains and the incapacitated teens. Then, he cut down one of the other walls that had them boxed in. As he shut it off and shoved it into a pocket, Rufus popped out of his pocket to glare at him.

"It's loud, I know," Ron told him. "Look, I need you to find the door so we can get Kim out of here."

"Okay," replied the hairless rodent. Jumping to the floor, Rufus took off down the hall. As Ron draped his friend over his shoulder, the naked mole rat returned. "This way," he said as he sat back and pointed.

"Lead on, pal." Holding onto Kim, he followed Rufus toward what he hoped was a safe getaway.


	2. Chapter Two

**FULL POTENTIAL:** a Kim Possible fanfiction

by Ranger Thorne

Ron hid in the trees near the lair until he saw the hovercraft leave. Suddenly a high-pitched version of the usual _Deet-deet-dee-dee!_ Caused both him and Rufus to flinch. After taking the time to undo the modification, he switched the device on.

"Ron, you okay? Where's Kim?" Wade looked worried.

"I think Drakken hit us with the antidote to the biochemical mutagenic inhibitor," Ron said glancing to where Kim still lay, breathing but otherwise unmoving.

"I was afraid of that. Hey," Wade looked closely at the screen, "when did you start using words like that?"

"Like what?"

"'Mutagenic inhibitor.'"

"Uh," Ron looked confused. "Hey, I know what those words mean!" The confusion turned to a serious expression, "How do I know what those words mean?"

Wade looked at something on a monitor, "And when did you learn how to make a sonic laser?"

"It, it just came to me," Ron shrugged. "It worked, right?"

"And there are about a thousand different industries who'd literally kill to get their hands on it," Wade told him.

"I thought they'd be more interested in the plasma gun I made," Ron replied.

Wade's eyes widened, "I thought you didn't remember any of that."

"So did I." Shaking his head, Ron told him, "We need to get Kim home."

"I'll call a ride. Is she okay?"

"I think so," Ron said. "She passed out, but she doesn't look like she's gonna explode or anything." He shook his head, "I just wish I could quit imagining that I hear her screaming."

_Ron, help me!_ The voice in his head yelled. _It hurts!_

"You sure it's in your head?" Wade asked. "It could be a part of her mutation."

"It couldn't be," Ron said, shaking his head. "She's out cold."

"Well," Wade scowled, "your ride should be there soon."

"As KP would say, you rock, Wade," Ron told him.

"Hopefully, she'll say it again soon," Wade told him. "You sure she's okay?"

"Physically, she's fine." A car pulled up. "Hey, that's Mr. Summers. KP and I rescued him when he was being chased by those dogs." Ron rubbed his leg, "I had to get stitches on that one."

"He's your ride. I'll check in later." The kimmunicator went blank.

* * *

The ride into Middleton was quiet. Ron sat in the back with Kim's head in his lap. As he again brushed her long hair from her face, he heard Rufus giving directions to the Possible home to the driver.

_It'll be okay, KP_, he thought to his friend.

_Help me,_ came the reply. _Ron, I can't wake up. Something's happening to me. It's like all my strength is being gathered for something. I don't want to do this!_

Ron looked at her. Then, as he opened his mouth to speak, Summers turned in his seat and announced, "We're here."

"Thanks, Mr. Summers," Ron told him.

"Hey, after the way you two led those dogs away, how could I not give you a ride?"

"Hey," Ron said, trying to not think about the pain of a dog biting into his leg, "we just kept them distracted for a bit. No big." _At least I actually helped on that one,_ he thought.

"You need help getting her inside?" the man asked.

"Nah," he carried her in his arms.

"Good thing it was just sleeping gas," Summers said.

"Yeah. Knowing those two, it could have been anything." Ron smiled and shrugged a little, "Of course, if I hadn't hit that valve, it wouldn't have sprayed her." _Make the hero look good, Ron._ "Thanks again, Mr. Summers." As the car pulled away, Ron turned to head up the steps.

"Kimmie?" Kim's mother burst through the door and rushed to Ron's side. Taking a wrist in her hand, she frowned, "Her pulse is steady, but weak."

"Uh, Mrs. Dr. P, could I get her to the couch before the physical?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Ron." Dana Possible followed him inside, closed the door behind him, then watched until her daughter was placed gently on the sofa. Then, the doctor took over as she checked vital signs. "She seems okay, just sleeping," she muttered more to herself than Ron.

_I can't wake up, Ron,_ Kim's voice sounded in her head. _And now it feels like I have a cramp all the way around my chest._

"Mrs. P," Ron said, "do you believe in telepathy?"

"Why?" the woman turned to look at him.

"Because I'm hearing Kim in my head. She says she can't wake up and she's got a cramp in her chest." He looked at her, "Could that be real?"

The brain surgeon looked at her daughter for a moment. Then, "Ron, do you remember where Kim keeps her swimsuits?"

"Uh," he thought, "she keeps a couple in her underwear drawer in case of emergencies." Seeing her look, he explained, "She was packing for a vacation and I saw them. I made a joke, and she explained." When the expression didn't change, he went on, "Eh, the rest are in a box in her closet."

"Go get me the strapless black one, please."

"Sure thing, Dr. P." Turning, he left the room.

"Hated to lie to him like that," Dana muttered as she reached around and under the black top to undo Kim's bra. Then, with a swift motion, she removed both articles of clothing. Grabbing a nearby throw, she covered her. Then, after folding the cover down, she began to examine Kim's chest.

* * *

"She lied to me," Ron said as he entered Kim's room. "Why would she do that?"

_Hey, she lied to me, too,_ Kim's 'voice' said, sounding strained. _But in this case, she just wanted you out of the room so she could examine me. I do have a strapless swimsuit, though._

"Yeah, the blue one." He opened a drawer, "It's the one I saw when you were packing." Smirking, he added, "Should I be wearing gloves?"

_Very funny. OW!_

"KP?" Ron pulled the top of the swimsuit from the drawer as he looked around. _I'm starting to believe this is real,_ he thought.

_Ron, it is. Ow-ow-ow!_

Tearing down the stairs, Ron called out, "She's hurting!" Coming into the room, he saw Kim's mother pulling the throw back over Kim's torso. The black top was inside out on the floor, showing the bra straps. _So that's why she wanted me out of the room._ "I found a blue one," he offered as he came closer.

"Thanks. Now , you said she was hurting?"

A loud grunt escaped from Kim. Her back arched suddenly, nearly throwing her into a sitting position. The cover started to slip, causing her mother to grab at it.

_PAIN! OH GOD IT HURTS! MY BACK IS EXPLODING!_ The volume of the mental voice was enough to stagger Ron. Dazed, he made a motion of tossing the top to the doctor, but ended up just dropping it in the floor.

"Ah, she's screaming!" Ron fell to his knees while holding his head with both hands.

At that point, Kim's eyes opened and she did, indeed scream. In a spastic motion, she rolled off of the couch and onto the floor, nearly knocking her mother over. Her back muscles twitched and writhed as the doctor looked on.

"Oh, no. Not my baby." The woman put a hand on her daughter's arm, "I'm here for you, Kimmie."

Kim's hand clenched into fists, and her eyes were squeezed shut. She had propped herself up onto her elbows, and the throw had somehow gotten caught between her arms and her chest. Her legs trembled as the top half of her back began to ripple beneath the skin. Then, her upper body seemed to widen slightly, as if something beneath the skin had suddenly grown.

"Something's happening," Ron warned. He moved to put a hand on Kim's other arm, then looked at the parent. "I hope you're not about to panic."

"Why?"

"Because I am!" Kim screamed again. "I'm right here, KP!" he called to her.

"Ron," Kim gasped, "it's happening." She gasped, "It's -- AH!"

As Ron and Dr. Possible watched, the muscles on Kim's back seemed to gather at the bottom inner edge of both shoulder blades. There was a sound like tearing skin and breaking bone as two lumps seemed to grow. Then, with another ripping sound that was joined by Kim's scream, two objects burst from her back. Dana, who had been beside her daughter, was knocked aside by one as they continued to grow from her back. Then, after almost a minute of growth, they drooped as Kim fell unconscious and dropped completely to the floor.

* * *

Kim awoke facing the wall. She felt weak and her chest was sore. As she tried to focus. She glanced down to see she was topless, but covered by the bed sheet. A slight rustling from behind her caused her to glance over her shoulder. Two seconds later, she was standing in front of the full-length mirror. "Oh, no," she groaned.

Kim could see that her chest was more developed. Her breasts hadn't grown, much, but the muscles on her chest looked like she had spent her entire life lifting weights. It was what was behind her, though, that caused her to stare. Two wings now attached to her back. The feathers were white, giving her an almost angelic appearance. "A half-naked angel," she muttered.

Modesty screaming in her ear, she dug around until she found a top that went around her waist, then buttoned around her neck, leaving her back bare. It was tight, but it fit. Standing in front of the mirror again, she tried to move the wings, only to flinch when they obeyed her. _They really are attached,_ she thought, trying not to panic.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs as Kim's mother entered the room. "You feeling okay, Kim?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"As well as could be expected, I guess." With a final glance in the mirror, she turned on her mother.

Before she could say anything, however, the woman held up her hand. "I know you're about to launch on me and your father. And, we deserve it. But, we just got chewed out by Ron for the past hour, so I'm asking you for a little break before you take your turn."

"_Ron_ chewed you out? Ron Stoppable?" Kim was incredulous. "You sure it was him?"

"Who else would be so worried about you that they'd rip us both a new one like that?" Managing a slight smile, Mrs. Dr. P. added, "And we had it coming."

"Yeah, you did," Kim said, putting her hands on her hips. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, it's obvious that we'll have to make some adjustment," the doctor shrugged. "And I'd like to take you to the hospital for some tests."

"Tests?" Kim stepped back, "Mom, I don't want to be cooped up." She grimaced, "Ugh, coop. Bad pun."

"I didn't notice. Look," she shrugged, "we need to know if the . . ." she paused, seeming to gather her courage, "mutation is finished."

Glancing over her shoulder, Kim grumbled, "How much worse could it get?"

"We don't know. That's why we were trying to stop it." When her daughter turned to glare at her, she sighed, "Come downstairs and we'll try to explain it. Okay?"

For a few seconds, Kim considered refusing. In the end, however, curiosity over what had caused the sitch she was in won out. "Okay," she said. Then, with another glance at the mirror, she added, "If you can help me get there without knocking anything over."

* * *

When Kim and her mother arrived in the living room, they found her father and Ron sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Both stood, however, when she came into the room.

"KP!" Ron exclaimed, rushing over to hug her. He stepped aside, quickly, however, as Kim's father embraced her.

"We were worried," he admitted as he released her.

Embarrassed, she waved a hand at them and said, "Eh, genetic mutation. No big." When the others chuckled, she relaxed. "So," she said to her mother, "you said you were going to explain things?"

"Yeah," she replied. Then, gesturing toward the couch, she suggested, "Why don't you sit down?"

It took Kim a couple of tries before she could sit without her new wings being uncomfortable. Finally, she was able to stretch them out along the back of the couch and feel at ease. Ron sat next to her, but didn't lean back onto Kim's new limbs.

"Ah, yeah." Dana looked at her husband, then turned to her daughter.

Before she could speak, however, James Stoppable said, "You're mother and I are very sorry you had to find out like this, Kimmie."

She rested a hand on her husband's knee before adding, "To be perfectly honest, we hoped you'd never have to find out." Holding up a hand, she went on, "Before you go flying, uh," she shook her head, then went on, "flying off the handle, let us explain."

Kim, who had been ready to do precisely that, sighed, leaned back, and said, "Okay."

"When your father and I first got married, we were both working for the government. I was in research. Some of it was in genetics. Shortly before we found out I was pregnant, there was an accident at the lab, and I was exposed to some toxins that caused your DNA to mutate." Glancing at James, she continued, "We had tests run as soon as we found out you were coming."

"Some of your mother's colleagues wanted us to terminate the pregnancy," her father growled as a deep anger momentarily surfaced.

Taking his hand, Dana smiled, "Obviously we didn't. But," she went on, looking back at her daughter, "I did leave government service."

"That's when we moved to Middleton," her father added. "Your mother was able to get a job at the hospital, and I went to work at the space center."

"But I kept working on how to keep you from mutating. And, just before you were born, I came up with the biochemical mutagenic inhibitor. We kept it under your bed so you'd get a dose every time you went to sleep."

"So, it's been there my entire life?"

"Yes, Kimmie, it has," her father answered. "Your mother was able to figure out that, if we kept you from mutating until you reached your full maturity, you wouldn't mutate at all. So," he shrugged, "we never told you."

"Never told her?" Ron pointed, "Mr. P, what about her kids? Wouldn't they be mutants, too?"

The adults looked at each other for a long moment. Then, with a sigh, the doctor said, "Actually, it's very unlikely that Kim will ever had children of her own."

Kim flinched as if she had been struck. "What? Why?"

"Because, more often than not, genetic mutation results in sterility." Dana looked at the floor.

"So, you kept all this from me?" When her parents reluctantly nodded, Kim stood. As she did, her wings folded up behind her. "I trusted you all this time, and you were keeping this secret. How can I trust you again?"

"We were trying to make sure you never needed to know," James said. Then, looking at his wife, he said, "Your mother wanted to tell you, but I kept talking her into putting it off."

"We started to tell you on your 12th birthday," she said. "But you had just gotten back from some mission or other."

"And on your sixteenth," he added.

"And on a bunch of others, too," Kim admitted. "In fact, I'm almost always going to or from one mission or another." Some of her anger faded. "But you should have _told_ me I wasn't normal."

"Hindsight is 20/20," James said, "so it's easy to say that we screwed up. But we did it for the right reasons."

Kim's wings wrapped around her like a cloak. "I think I need to think for a while. Excuse me." She turned and fled the room.

Ron started to follow, but stopped when Kim's father spoke, "Ron, I think she wants to be alone."

"I'll leave if she asks me too, Dr. P. But I need some answers of my own."

* * *

Kim was sprawled on her bed, face down. "KP?" Ron asked as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Please leave, Ron," came the muffled voice.

"I will after we talk."

Kim began to roll over to face him, only to stop as her wings protested. "That's okay," Ron said, kneeling next to the bed. "This'll work."

Turning her head, she looked at him. "Mom said you were lecturing them for about an hour before I woke up." He could see where tears were forming, and one leaked from her eye as he watched.

He turned a slight pink, "I'm afraid I let my temper get the best of me."

"You know, the only time you ever do that is if I'm involved." She reached out and put a hand on his arm, "Thank you."

"Hey, the worst they can do to me is kick me out," he grinned. "They can ground you."

"That's a lot more of a problem than it use to be," she said, sounding tired. "God, I don't want these things."

"I know how you feel, KP," he said. "I've been hearing things since that gas got us."

"Like me?" she said, timid.

"You knew about that?" His eyes went wide.

"I could hear you, a little. After we got home, I could hear you pretty good." Kim swallowed, "Ron, I'm scared." After some work, she got herself seated on the side of the bed. Again, her wings were stretched out behind her. As Ron moved to sit next to her, she asked, "Would -- would it be bad if I wanted someone to remove them?"

"Remove them?" Ron stared at her. Then, with a few blinks, he recovered. "I don't know if that's a good idea, KP. I mean, it looks like your body had adapted to them pretty well."

"I just want to go back to normal," she said, looking at her room. "I want to wear normals clothes, and do normal things."

"KP . . . Kim," Ron took one of her hands in his, "you don't do normal any more than I do." When she looked at him, he explained, "Saving the world is so not normal. Neither is doing as much stuff as you do."

"I meant _my_ normal," she explained. Leaning over, she rested her head on his shoulder. In a small voice, she said, "I miss my normal." Ron put an arm around her, then was surprised when her wing draped itself over his shoulder.

"You know," he whispered, "you might not like them, but these wings put a jet pack to shame."

"Jet pack?" She looked at him with a dawning comprehension. "Oh, you mean I can fly?"

"Who knows?" He pulled her head back to his shoulder, "After things get settled, we'll go somewhere and find out, okay?"

"Yeah," she muttered, taking comfort in her friend's presence, "get settled."

* * *

Slowly, Kim became aware of her surroundings. Opening her eyes, she saw that she had rolled onto her back. There was a slight pull at the area of her back between the wings, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. "Next time," she whispered, "I'll put a cushion between them." After some experimentation, she found a way to get her elbows onto the mattress without having her wings between them. Sitting up, she sighed as she realized that the night stand was now devoid of any of the items that usually rested there. "Great, I must have swept it all off with a wing," she mumbled.

Standing, she made her way to her closet. As she began to go through her outfits, Kim slowly began to move farther into the small area. Muttering to herself, she finally stepped back, holding a few tops. "Looks like I'm going backless," she declared as she tossed the clothing on the bed. She put a hand to her head, then frowned, "Ugh, I need a shower. But," she looked over her shoulder, "how do I clean these things?"

It took the young woman fifteen minutes on the Internet to find what she needed. "Great," she muttered as she turned off the machine, "I can't use soap without removing the oils." Sighing, she added, "Well, I'm still washing my hair."

By the time she returned to her room, Kim had managed to kill almost an hour. To her embarrassment, she had knocked the shower curtain down when she had, instinctively, ruffled the feathers of her wings at the same time she had shaken the wings, themselves. The direct spray of the shower on her back had brought about the action. And, to add to the embarrassment, she had enjoyed the feeling of the water in her feathers.

Wet wings, though, didn't hold much water. By the time she had finished fixing the curtain, her wings were almost dry. She had fixed the shower curtain, cleaned up the spilled water, then retreated back to her room. She started to drop the towel, then stopped and glared at her dresser.

It took her almost as long to find a bra as it had to find a top. Finally, she found a strapless one that would fit under the top she had picked out for the day. "Like it or not," she mumbled as she dressed, "I gotta get some different clothes." Then, the reality of what she had just said hit her in the face. Her eyes wide, she asked herself, "Wait a minute, when do I _not_ want to go shopping?"

* * *

As Kim entered the kitchen, something finally registered. "Mom," she asked the woman who was standing by the stove, "where are the tweebs?"

"Oh," Dana shrugged, "we asked the Johnsons if they could spend the night. They'll be home after school today."

"School?" Kim froze.

"Not for you, Kimmie," her father said from his seat. "You're going to the hospital with your mother." He looked up from the paper, then stopped.

"Something wrong, Dad?"

"Kimberly," he muttered, "your eyes."

Her hands flew to her eyes. They felt the same. Now, though, her mother had turned and was staring as well. "What's wrong?" the teenager asked.

Dana stood in front of her and looked at her daughter's face. "Your eyes have changed a little." She smirked a little, "Don't worry, they're not pink or anything. In fact, people pay a lot of money for contacts that do that."

"Do what?"

"Your pupils are like a cats," came the explanation.

"Cats? You mean," Kim thought for a second, then went on, "they're slits?"

"Yeah."

"You know," James said, "now that I'm over the sudden shock, they look pretty cool."

"Hmpf," Kim replied as she draped a wing over each side of her chair and sat down.

"Here's some cereal, honey," her mother said, putting a bowl and a carton of milk in front of her. "And don't worry," she added with a half-smile, "I won't make any bird-seed jokes."

"Thanks for small favors," Kim grumbled. She was almost finished when there was a familiar knock on the back door.

"Hey, Possible family," Ron said, leaning his head inside the door. "Minus the twins, of course," he amended as he came in.

"Hi, Ron," 'Mrs. Dr. P.' replied. "Had breakfast?"

"Yeah," he said, walking up next to her. "But I'm thirsty for some reason. Could I have some water, please?"

"Sure thing," she told him. "You know where the glasses are."

Nodding, Ron smiled, "Yep." After finishing off two large glasses of water, he put the glass in the sink, then sat next to his best friend. "How you feeling, KP?"

"Like I'm trapped in the Twilight Zone," she told him as she swallowed the last bite of cereal.

"Ooh," he replied, "been there. In fact," he frowned, "I'm still there."

Kim looked over at him. "You don't look any different," she told him.

"It's all up here," he said, tapping himself on the temple. "It's getting kinda freaky."

"That's right," Dana said, sitting across from them, "you were exposed to that gas, too. What are the symptoms?"

Ron scowled as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, I could hear KP's thoughts when she was out cold," he said, finally. "But I haven't heard her think anything since she passed out in the living room." Kim could tell he had held back something, but let him continue. "My memory of what happened when I was turned evil not long ago is back." He turned slightly pink, "That was an embarrassing thing to have happen."

"It wasn't your fault, Ron," Kim reminded him.

"I meant wanting all the world's nacos," he admitted. "They would have gone bad long before I could have eaten them." Seeing Kim roll her eyes affectionately, he looked back at her mother. "I also can hear what sounds like chittering in my head."

"Chittering?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I was exposed to something called 'Mystical Monkey Power' once. It might have something to do with that. Maybe the gas boosted whatever was left."

"Sooo," Kim asked, "you think you're hearing monkeys?"

"ALL monkeys," he corrected. "And what's worse, I'm starting to understand what they're saying."

"Ronald," Kim's father said, "monkeys don't talk."

"No," he agreed, "but they do think. And I'm starting to understand what they're thinking about." Before anyone could comment, he went on, "And the more I understand it, the quieter it's getting. And, believe me, the fewer monkey thoughts I have, the better."

"Can't argue with that," Kim said, nudging him with an elbow.

"Anything else, Ron?"

"Well, Mrs. Dr. P.," Ron frowned, "it kinda goes with the evil thing. You see, when I turned evil, I could suddenly do things I couldn't before. Like," he shrugged, "build a death ray or a mega weather machine." He looked over at Kim, "I know how I did it. I even think I can do it again."

"You're not going to try to take over the world, are you?" Ronald Possible asked.

"No way, Mr. Dr. P." He waved a hand, "I like being one of the good guys."

"Well," Dana said, standing, "I think you should come with us to the hospital. I'm going to run some tests on Kim to see if her mutation is complete, and if it's caused any problems we need to deal with."

"Duh," Kim said, pointing over a shoulder with her thumb, "what do you call these?"

Ron reached out and stroked the one closest to him. "Soft," he told her. "I call them soft."

Kim tried to glare, but his grin caused her to soften. "I didn't ask you," she said in a lighter tone than she intended.

He stroked the wing some more, "But they are soft."

Kim started to tell him to stop, but found the sensation of having her wing gently caressed to be very relaxing. "Ron," she said, snapping out of it, "you're distracting me."

"Oh," he blushed a little, "sorry."

"Uh, Mom," Kim turned to her mother, "I have a wardrobe problem. Could we go shopping later?"

"What's wrong, Kimmie?" her mother asked. Then, rolling her eyes, she said, "Of course. I should have realized. We'll hit the mall when we finish at the hospital. Fortunately," she said as she picked up her purse, "I don't have much scheduled for today. Oh," she looked at Ron, "we'll call your folks from the hospital."

"No problem, Mrs. Dr. P.," Ron replied. Seeing that Kim was about to stand, he tried to scoot his chair to give her more room, only to have it fall over, dumping him into the floor. "Or," his voice came from under the table, "I could just wait here."

* * *

Sandra Darling looked through the microscope a final time before looking up at Dana Possible. "From what I can tell, her body has stopped changing. But she's anemic and probably running on more momentum than anything else."

"I wondered about that." Dana crossed her arms, then leaned a hip against the table. "But she's bound and determined to go shopping later."

"What girl isn't at her age?" Sandra grinned up at her friend.

"No kidding." Returning the grin, Dana leaned over and said, "Remember that time in college when we both got those gift certificates for Christmas?"

Sandra chuckled, "Oh, yeah. We spent two weeks trying to figure out how to spend about ten bucks, each."

"But we had about a hundred dollars worth of fun," Dana reminded her after a chuckle of her own.

"That we did." Turning serious, the woman pointed to another slide, "I looked at the boy's blood sample, but all I see is that it looks like his blood has been filtered, somehow."

"Filtered?"

"Yeah. Whatever happened to your daughter must have kicked his liver into high gear." She slid the slide of Kim's blood out of the microscope, then replaced it with Ron's. "There's not a trace of cholesterol or any other harmful substances." Shaking her head, she leaned in to look, "I wish my blood was this clean."

"Hmm," Dana took her turn, looking at the sample. "I wonder if everyone would be effected this way?"

* * *

"So," Shego asked Drakken as they listened to the rain outside of the French villa they were currently hiding in, "how long do we hide before we go back and finish Kim Possible once and for all?"

"Shego," he replied with a scowl, "it's only been a day. Besides, we want the heat to die down a little."

"You do, maybe," Shego told him as she pulled a nail file out of her boot.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Huh?" she looked up at him, then back to her nails. "Oh, just that you always run at the first sign of trouble."

"I do not."

"I'm afraid you do, Doc."

"Do not."

"Do."

"Do not."

"Do. Wait," Shego held up a hand, "I'm not doing this with you. Even if you have a hundred henchmen, you still wilt under the police."

"They have guns." Even to Drakken, this argument seemed silly. "Oh, okay, then. We'll go back tomorrow and see to it that Kim Possible and that," he struggled for words, "buffoon, whoever he is . . ."

"Stoppable. You know, easy to stop?"

"I can never remember that!" He frowned, "Anyway, we'll go back tomorrow and use Kim Possible's mutation to destroy her once and for all!" Grinning now, he looked at Shego, "And you wanted to just hide out here." Turning, he walked away.

"I gotta find another line of work," Shego said without looking up.

* * *

"What's wrong, KP?" Ron asked as he sat up from tying his shoe. The two were sitting in Kim's mother's office, waiting for her to return.

"The words are blurry," Kim said, holding out the magazine.

"They look fine to me." He looked at her, "Maybe it's your eyes."

"Ron, why would my vision get _worse_?"

"Hey, I'm not a geneticist. But," he shrugged, "it is possible that your eyes have adjusted more along the lines of a bird of prey." As he took a breath, he didn't see Dr. Dana Possible step into the doorway. "If that's the case, then your distance vision may have increased at the cost of your close-up vision. So, you could be farsighted." Seeing his friend staring at him, he asked, "What?"

"You mean I could need glasses?"

"You know, Kim," Dana began from behind Ron.

"AAHH!" Ron leaped to his feet.

"Sorry, Ron," she grinned at him.

"Uh, that's okay, Mrs. Dr. P." Ron sat down as he turned pink.

"You were saying, Mom?" Kim asked as she grinned at Ron.

"There is an optometrist at the mall." Dana sat in her chair, then added, "If Ron's right, you might just need them to read. And I've seem some really cute reading glasses."

"I've never worn glasses," Kim protested. Then, slumping in her seat, she sighed and said, "After all this, though, needing glasses are the least of my problems."

"Uh, Dr. P.?" Ron looked worried.

"Yes, Ron?"

"What did the lab say?"

"Ham on rye, hold the onion." When the teens looked at her in confusion, she shrugged, "They thought I was the deli down the street." When the two looks became glares, she smirked and went on, "Sorry, I've been waiting a month to use that on someone."

"Yeah," Ron told her, "but now I'm hungry."

Rufus stuck his head out of the pocket he had been in long enough to say, "Hungry!" Then, he vanished again.

"Sorry, Ron. We'll grab something later." Looking at her daughter, she asked, "You feeling okay?"

"A little tired."

"Yeah. Your bloodwork shows that you're a little anemic. We're going to pick up a multi-vitamin that will help with that. It does look, though, that you're body has stopped changing."

"That's good news," Kim told her.

"Can't argue with your, there. Still," she cautioned, "we don't know what kind of changes might have been done that won't show up on an x-ray. Speaking of which," the doctor stood and went to the wall, where a series of lighted panels waited. A large brown envelope was in her hand, and she removed two x-rays from it.

"This is what your back looks like, now," Dana told Kim as she and Ron moved to look at it. "It looks like the wings have their anchor where the inner corner of your scapula was."

"My what?"

"Shoulder blade," Ron provided. When she looked at him, he shrugged and said, "My Aunt Rita broke hers once."

"Anyway," Dana went on, "the scapula now has a semi-circular area that has been removed. In its place is the first joint of the wing." She turned off the machine and took down the x-rays as she continued, "It also looks like the muscles of your torso have adapted to having the wings attached. Although," she warned, "they aren't as developed as the muscles you've been using all your life."

"Meaning . . ." Kim thought for a second, "they'll get tired faster."

"Bingo."

"Hey," Kim shrugged, "having a doctor for a mom rubs off sometimes."

"Too bad cleaning your room never rubbed off," Dana teased. "Kimmie, in time, you might be able to fly or do some other wild things. But, for now, you need to keep your feet on the ground. You could do yourself permanent damage if you don't work your way up slowly."

"Okay," Kim said, nodding.

"As for you, Ron," she scowled a little. "Well, it looks like every impurity in your body has been purged."

"Purged?" He looked ill, "That sounds like one of those medical things they do to clean you out."

"Not, nothing like that. It's like your system was completely cleaned of anything that wasn't supposed to be there. It could be what allowed your memory of what happened to you return."

"Oh."

"Mom," Kim tried to lean forward, but was stopped when her wings caught on the arms of the chair, "is Ron in any danger of developing, uh," she gestured over her shoulder, "these?"

"No. Your DNA has been trying to grow wings for years. It was the mutagenic inhibitor that stopped it. When you were given the antidote, it caused the mutation to spring forth all at once." Dana nodded toward Ron, "Ron's DNA shows no sign of mutation."

"If it's any consolation, KP," Ron said, "I'm really kind of jealous."

"Sure, Ron," she replied. Actually, she had to admit, it did help that her new appendages were something other people might want. "Are we done, Mom?"

"Yeah. Just give me a few minutes to tell everyone I'm leaving a little early and we'll get out of here."

As Kim's mother left the room, Ron saw his friend slouch a little in her seat. "Tired, KP?"

"A little," she admitted. "But I want to get some shopping so I won't have to worry if I'll have something to wear."

"You know," he grinned, "you could always go for the long robe look."

"I am not dressing as an angel," she protested.

"Hey, this could save you a lot of time at Halloween."

"I knew you were going to say that," she said, rubbing her eyes.

* * *

Monique sighed as she watched two of the cheerleading squad leave Club Banana. _They haven't seen Kim or Ron, either. I hope they didn't get caught on one of their missions. I don't know how I'd deal if something happened to Kim. Or,_ she grinned a little, _how I'd deal with Ron if something happened to Kim._

"Hey, Monique," came a familiar voice. Turning, the African-American was surprised to see that Kim was wearing a long coat that was riding very high on her shoulders. It was almost like she was wearing some kind of backpack.

"Hey, Kim," Monique smiled. "You okay?" She saw that Ron was waiting outside with a red head old enough to be . . . "That your mom?"

"Yeah. She and Ron agreed to let me shop in here on my own."

"Everybody's wondering what happened to you at school today," Monique told her.

"Long story, Monique." Kim looked around, "Uh, is there somewhere private we can go for a minute?"

"You ain't got a rash or something, do you?"

"I wish. Look, I just don't want people to see why I'm having to do so much shopping all of a sudden."

"Let me guess," Monique said as she led the way to the back, "your brothers did your laundry so now everything you own is pink?"

Kim laughed. "Actually, my Dad did that we I was seven. I kinda liked it."

"It was last week, and so did I." Monique led Kim into the small break room. As she closed the door, she heard a rustle of cloth behind her. "Now," she started to turn, "let's see what -- HOLY!"

"Nice choice of words," Kim said as she draped the coat over a chair. She stretched her wings slightly, then folded them up against her back.

"Uh, Kim," Monique walked around her friend, "where'd you get these?"

"I'm a genetic mutation," Kim explained. "My folks rigged my bed to give me a shot of something to keep me from mutating, but Drakken found out and gave me an antidote. So," she shrugged, and her wings shrugged with her with a rustle of feathers, "I mutated."

"Wait," Monique squinted at her, "you mean they were supposed to be there all along?"

"According to my DNA, yeah."

"Girl, I'd hate to see what's behind DNA door number three."

"But, you can see why I'm here, and why I don't want to wander the racks trying things on." Instead of pointing at her wings, she spread them, "I think I'd be a danger to other shoppers."

"Not to mention the displays I spend the weekend putting together." Monique put her right arm across her chest and tapped her chin with her left hand. Then, she walked around Kim a couple of times. Finally, she stopped and asked, "How much do you need?"

"Everything," was the reply.

"Wait here, I'll be right back. Just leave _everything_ to me."

* * *

"Really, Mrs. Dr. P," Ron protested, "I'm good. I'm fine."

"Ron," Dana told him, "you mother said it's been a while since you've had your eyes checked."

"I, uh," he frowned, "I really don't like those things they put on your face."

"Kim's in there now," the doctor told him. "When she gets out, it's our turn. Your mother's orders, got that?"

"Okay, okay," Ron gave up. "I know I can't win against _one_ parent. When you gang up I'm really in trouble."

A few minutes later, Kim came out of the room, followed by a disturbed doctor. He was a little over six feet, with receding dark hair and a bit of a paunch. His eyebrows were trying to mate as he watched Kim walk to her mother.

"Her distance vision is excellent," he reported. "But, it's just the opposite up close."

"So she does need reading glasses," Ron stated.

"This is not a good time to be proud of yourself," Kim told him with a scowl.

"Well, your brother is right," the doctor told her. "Did I say something funny?"

The three chuckled for a second, then Dana said, "Oh, he's just a friend of the family."

"Oh. Sorry about that." The optometrist handed the clipboard he was holding to the woman behind the counter. "This prescription is one the lab can have ready in an hour."

"Great," Kim said, "glasses."

Looking at her for a moment, the doctor walked over to a selection of frames. Pulling one off of the display, he came back and handed them to Kim. "These frames are, supposedly, indestructible. And, they come in a little case that should fit nicely on that belt you wear when you go out and save the world."

"Recognized me, eh?" Kim said, slightly embarrassed.

"I have a niece that has a collection of stuff that you wouldn't believe. Every time there's a new article or story about something you did she's all in a tizzy over it." He grinned, "It'll kill her when she hears I did your exam."

"It's no big," Kim said, waving her hand. "I just do what I can." Ron took a step away, then another.

"But most people don't," the man told her. "That's what makes you different. Even more than those," he gestured to the coat she had on again, "uh, things, there." Ron was almost to the door.

"An excellent point," Dana said to her daughter. "Ron, stop where you are and get in there so he can check you out."

"Ah, man," Ron grumbled. "I almost made it."

"You must be Mr. Stoppable," the doctor said. "Don't worry, this doesn't hurt."

"That's what you all say," Ron grumbled as the door closed.

As Kim looked at the frames the doctor had suggested, there was a sudden exclamation from inside the office.

_"What in? Geeze, what is that thing?"_

"I guess he met Rufus," Kim said, grinning.

* * *

As night fell, Kim retired to her room and collapsed face-down onto the bed.. The bags of clothes she had purchased had been put away with some reluctant help from Ron.

"_But, KP, shouldn't you be putting your, uh . . ." he had protested._

_"They're call 'bras,' Ron," she had chided. "And I'm not in them, so it's no big."_

_"Yeah," he had turned away, beet red, "not in them. Right."_

_I shouldn't have tormented him like that,_ she thought, grinning. _We might not be romantically involved, but he's still a boy with hormones. I bet he had to take a cold shower when he got home. _

She could hear her twin brothers talking as they passed by the doorway to her room. Rolling her eyes, she thought of their reaction to seeing their sister.

_"Cool!" they had cried out in unison. "Hey, Mom," Jim had asked, "are we gonna get wings, too?"_

_"No," she told them. "Your sister's DNA is the only one mutated. You two are normal."_

_"That's a matter of opinion," said the older sister. _

_They had examined her wings closely, but were careful not to hurt her. Then, they had left, talking about doing genetic manipulation on themselves to grow horns or bat wings._

_"No genetic experiments in the house!" their father had called after them. Then, shaking his head, he had raised the paper in front of him and said, "Boys."_

"The tweebs want wings," she muttered into the pillow. "Wonderful." As she lay there, she let her wings stretch out and flap slowly. "Hmm," she whispered, "the breeze feels good."

_She was flying. Far below, trees and fields passed by at a leisurely pace. The beat of her wings kept rhythm with the beating of her heart. The wind flashed past her face, bringing tears of joy to her eyes . . ._

Unwillingly, Kim's eyes opened. She was still lying on her stomach, but the sun had long since gone down. Kim looked out of her window and down the hill.

_The wind flashed past her face, bringing tears of joy to her eyes . . ._

As the dream came back to her, she thought of her mother's words, _"But, for now, you need to keep your feet on the ground." _Reaching into her pocket, Kim pulled out the case for her new glasses. Standing in front of the mirror , she took them out and put them on.

They were frameless, with the pieces for the ears and nose screwed onto the lenses themselves. There were, in fact, almost invisible. Kim had to admit that they didn't look bad.

"I can do everything but read without glasses," she muttered as she put the glasses back into their case, then put them away.

_"But, for now, you need to keep your feet on the ground."_

Kim looked out the window again. Finally, she turned to sit on the bed. She flapped her wings once, and nearly blew the pictures off of the wall. Curling them around her, she looked away, lost in thought.

Finally, she folded her wings back behind her as she stood. Then, she put on her mission clothes, with the exception of a black top she had just purchased. Her trip through the house was as quiet as she could make it. As she slipped out of the door, she whispered, "Sorry, Mom, but I've never been good at keeping my feet on the ground."


	3. Chapter 3

**FULL POTENTIAL:** a Kim Possible fanfiction

by Ranger Thorne

A short walk up the road led to a house next to a steep hill. As quietly as possible, Kim crept through the yard and looked down. Memories of sleigh riding down the hill with Ron made her smile. Finally, she looked around to make sure she was alone, then spread her wings.

Kim stepped back a few paces, then stood still.

_The wind flashed past her face, bringing tears of joy to her eyes . . ._

"I can do anything," she whispered just before she ran to the edge and threw herself into the air. The feeling of falling was missing, as Kim felt the wind catch in her wings. For a few seconds, she was content to glide, but then flapped her wings.

"Harder than I thought," she muttered as she had to keep working her wings to get them to move her through the air. Suddenly, a gust of air from below lifted her almost twenty feet higher. "An updraft," she said, exhilarated, "cool." After a few false starts, she learned how to turn to fly over the place she had gotten the lift. Her hair flying wild, Kim laughed as the ground began to recede beneath her.

After a while, she realized that the sun had risen and her parents were going to be worried about her. And, with the sun up, she could be seen. "Oh no," she muttered as she looked down, trying to find landmarks to make it home.

As she flew over a street, a head that she would recognize from any angle was walking along the sidewalk. Using Ron as a marker, she quickly found her house. She tried being gentle, but her first landing on the roof of her house ended in a tuck and roll. She glided to the ground in the back yard, then went inside.

Dana was standing at the door to the kitchen, wringing a towel in her hands while her father was sitting at the table reading the paper. When she heard the door open, Kim's mother turned. "KIM!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been, young lady?"

"I, uh . . ."

"We've been worried sick," Dana didn't give her daughter the chance to respond. "I was about to phone the police. What were you doing?"

Realizing that she was required to reply, Kim shrugged, "I went out to see if my wings really work."

In disbelief, Dana stared at her. "I thought I said to keep your feet on the ground. And you went out anyway?"

Kim managed to keep her temper from showing on her face. But, her wings bunched up tighter and higher. The tension in them distracted her for a moment, allowing her to consider her reply. Finally, she looked at he mother and said, "Mom, you know I'm not wired that way. I didn't keep my feet on the ground _before_ I got wings. How could I not try them out?"

"I told you that's where she was," James said, lowering the paper to look at his daughter. "You okay, Kimmie-Cub?"

"I'm fine, Daddy," she said, sitting down. "I'm just a little winded."

"I'm glad you two are so at ease over this," Dana said, scowling.

"Honey," he looked at his wife, "Kimmie has been all over the world fighting people out to take over the world. How's this any worse?" He looked back at Kim, "You had your kimmunicator, right?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"See, she could call for help if she needed it."

Dana thought for a moment, then sighed. Sitting at the table, she reached out and put a hand on one of Kim's. "I'm sorry, dear. I guess I did overreact a little."

"I should have at least left a note," Kim said. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just worried about what people are going to do when they find out about you." Giving the hand she was holding a squeeze, Dana smiled, "You were always like an angel to us, and I guess I'm a little jealous that everyone else might see it, now."

Kim felt the blush as she smiled. "Mooom, that's so . . . so . . . sweet."

The moment was broken by a familiar knock followed by a head of blond hair. "Hey, Possible family."

"Hi, Ron," Kim said, waving over her shoulder at him.

"Have fun, KP?" Ron asked as he sat next to her. A series of thumping sounds could be heard from the other room.

"Saw me?"

"Only as you flew over. You had some serious height, KP."

"I learned how to use updrafts." She shrugged, "Getting that high on my own would wear me out."

"I guess that's why a lot of larger birds do it," Ron nodded.

"Do what?" Jim (or is that Tim? Ron asked himself) asked as he and his twin entered the kitchen.

"Uh," he looked at Kim, who shrugged, "use updrafts to gain altitude."

"Oh, yeah," Tim (or Jim?) Replied.

"It helps to get higher," Jim began.

"So you can see your prey better," Tim finished. He looked at Kim, "You gonna start hunting your food?"

"Hunting my food?" Kim's eyes widened, "As if, tweebs."

"Yeah," Tim scolded his twin, "Kim wouldn't hunt. Besides, she doesn't have claws."

"You mean talons," Jim corrected.

"Now, now," Ron said, grinning, "that really depends on if KP has trimmed her toenails lately."

"RON!"

"Just pulling your chain a little, KP," Ron said as he turned his grin on her.

"I'll have you know I gave myself a pedicure three days ago," she told him while keeping a straight face.

"Oh, that's okay, then." Ron nodded. "Uh," he added as his self-confident expression fled, "how often do you get a pedicure?" he asked. Kim and her mother both rolled their eyes.

* * *

"You sure this is a good idea, KP?" Ron asked as he walked beside his friend. Kim was wearing the long coat again, despite the discomfort and the odd look it made in the back.

"We gotta go back sometime," Kim replied. "Better sooner than later."

"Well, I just don't think the wings thing is going to go over well." Ron looked ahead of them. _And I'm afraid that you'll end up as either a freak or an outcast . . . like me._

"You know," Kim said, changing the topic, "I would like to know what you didn't tell Mom yesterday."

"I . . . huh?" Ron looked confused.

"You remember talking to Mom in the kitchen before we went to the hospital?" Kim stopped and faced him. "I could tell you didn't tell her everything. Now spill."

Ron's jaw worked for a few seconds. "You don't wanna know, KP," he finally said. "You'd never . . . nevermind."

"Ron," her eyes invoked images of green fire.

"I, uh," he said as his resolve crumbled, "sometimesfeelwhatyou'refeeling."

"Like if I'm angry or sad?"

"Like if you stub your toe or your sock bunches up in your shoe." Ron shrugged, "It's like I'm plugged into your five senses. Take this morning," he gestured with a hand in the direction of Kim's home, "I woke up as you said 'I can do anything,' then ran and jumped into the air."

"My five . . ." Kim blushed.

"It's only sometimes, or if I think about it." Ron slumped, then said, "Maybe it has something to do with the brain switching. You know," he went on, "it's like every weird thing that's ever happened to me has been brought back."

"The gas brought it all back, somehow?" Kim had never truly felt self-conscious around Ron. She had always trusted him to turn his head or close his eyes when she had to change into or out of her mission clothes. Suddenly, however, she was very aware that he was male and she female. _And he's feeling what I'm feeling?_

"KP!" Ron protested, "I'm not some kind of pervert!"

"So you're reading my thoughts again?" Her voice rose.

"No, you're blushing." Ron turned away, then dropped his head. "Kim, you know I'd never do anything to hurt or embarrass you. Well, not on purpose, anyway."

Suddenly, Kim felt a deeper embarrassment rise. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Ron."

Looking back, Ron shrugged, "I knew you'd react that way, KP. It's only natural. I mean, we've been best friends since pre-k, but you're a girl and I'm a guy."

"You just figuring that out?" Kim asked with a smirk.

"That you're a girl has been obvious for a while, KP," Ron said. As a slight pink rose on his face, Ron rolled his eyes, "That did not sound like what it sounded like. I mean --"

"I know what you mean, Ron." Putting a hand on one shoulder, she put her chin on the other. "You know, we never really cleared the air after the moodulator."

"I'd hate to think what I'd be going through if I'd had that thing on me, too," Ron grumbled.

"Sudden mood swings?" she asked.

"Ew, I'd be like Drakken." The two laughed as they continued to the school.

"Who writes those things?" Ron asked as they neared the school. He had gestured to the sign outside the school, which today had the slogan 'School for many, home to none.'

"No idea," Kim told him. "I think Bonnie knows, but I have no clue. Look," she said, serious, "I think we need to talk this over after school. I'll admit that," she frowned, "what you told me freaks me out a little. But, I trust you. It's not like you haven't had the chance to see me," she blushed, "you know. But you being in here," she tapped her head, "takes some getting use to."

"Hey," Ron said, trying to cheer her up, "maybe we can learn to communicate telepathically."

"So I can hear all about how great your last naco was?" Kim grinned.

"Hey, I eat more than nacos," Ron complained. "There's chimeritos . . ." he began to count off as they headed into the school an to their lockers.

* * *

"And what exactly do you think you're doing, young lady?"

The hard voice of Steven Barkin caused Kim to turn slowly. "Uh, hello, Mr. Barkin," she said, smiling timidly.

"Possible," the tall man said leaning only slightly, but giving the impression of massive size and power, "what are you hiding under that coat?"

"Uh . . ." Looking past Barkin, Kim could see students were stopping to watch the famous Kim Possible get into trouble. "Mr. Barkin, could we, like, do this in your office?"

"Don't want to have your popularity ruined, Possible?" He straightened up, but continued to glare. "I'm not into popularity contests. Let's see what's under the jacket."

"Uh, Mr. Barkin," Ron interjected, "that's really not a good idea."

"Stay out of this, Stoppable."

"I wish I could."

Barking whirled, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Kim's eyes widened as she realized at least a little of what Ron had meant. But, what the blond said was, "Mr. Barkin, if you make her take off that jacket in public, it could very well cost you your job."

"Is that a threat, Stoppable?" Barkin leaned in close. Unlike before, however, the small-boned teen met his gaze.

"No, sir. It is a statement of fact. Take Kim into your office and learn what is going on. It's better all around. Trust me."

It was the final two words that got Barkin's attention. He straightened, then turned to the girl. "Okay, we'll play this your way," he glanced at Ron, "for now." He turned back to Kim, "Let's go see what secrets lie beneath."

* * *

Kim slipped the coat from her shoulders and off of her wings. As she worked the kinks out of them, she saw Barkin's jaw drop. She spread them as much as she dared in the small office, then asked, "See why I didn't want to do this in the hall?"

"They're, they're," was all he could say.

"Wing. Yes, I know." Kim took a deep breath, "Look, Mr. Barkin, I know that everybody is going learn about them sooner or later, but I really need some time to come to terms with this myself."

"They're beautiful," Barkin said in a voice as soft voice. Well, soft for Barkin.

"Uhm," Kim blushed, "thanks."

Pulling himself together, Barkin frowned, "I can see that you've been busy over the weekend. I take it they're real?"

"Yes, sir. Genetic mutation."

"Not catching, I hope."

"No sir. It uh," she shrugged, "happened in the womb. My parents had a compound to keep it from developing this far, but someone gave me an antidote over the weekend."

Nodding, Barkin said, "I'll give you a note for gym." Scowling, he asked, "What are you going to do about cheerleading?"

"Oh, no," Kim slapped her forehead. "I can't do cheerleading without everybody seeing me."

"I think," Barkin said, moving to sit behind his desk, "it's time you took a little break from cheerleading." Frowning, he went on, "Bringing more attention onto your . . ." he looked over her shoulder at the wings she was folding back behind her, "wings . . . would only bring the kind of publicity that brings tabloids to your door and parking in your yard. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to make Miss Rockwaller acting captain."

"Bonnie?"

"It's that or you walk out of here without that coat and accept the consequences now." His face was set in his normal 'resistance is useless' mode. "You can't have it both ways, Possible."

After searching her mind frantically for an answer, she settled for grabbing her coat and putting it carefully over her wings. She took the note from Barkin without a word, then swallowed hard once before leaving the room.

* * *

"That reeked," Kim mumbled as she opened her locker.

"KIM!" Wade looked out at her. "Where have you been? I haven't been able to get you on the kimmunicator since Ron's rescue."

"What?" Pulling the device from her pocket, she tried to activate it. "It's not coming on," she reported.

"Here," A small cable came from the computer, "plug it in and let me check it out." Kim complied, and Wade began to tap keys. "I'm not getting anything," he told her. "It's like the . . . wait a minute." He tapped a few more keys. Frowning, he said, "I'm running a test charge through the battery. It looks like it's dead."

"I thought the batteries were good for a long time," Kim said, confused.

"I guess the sonic laser took more out of it than I thought," Wade said, looking annoyed.

"Wait," Kim looked at him in confusion, "what sonic laser?"

"Didn't Ron tell you how he got you out of Drakken's lair?"

"No, he didn't." Kim frowned, "But he's going to."

"Yeah, well," Wade tried not to smirk at Ron's upcoming lecture, "put the kimmunicator on the charger when you get home and it should be okay. Call me tomorrow so we'll know it's working again."

"Can do, Wade."

"Oh," the computer guru said before Kim could close the door, "how are you doing?"

After glancing around, Kim leaned forward and whispered, "It's over. I'll show you sometime." Then, carefully, she closed the door.

* * *

Kim tried to ignore the looks she got from the other students. A couple even whispered references to the Hunchback of Notre Dam loud enough for her to hear. To her surprise, one of the few people other than Ron and Monique to not give her either a hard time or a wide berth was Bonnie. In the few classes they had together, she would occasionally glance around at her in surprise, then look at a piece of paper in her hand. Kim swallowed hard when she realized it was the note form Barkin telling Bonnie that she was now the head cheerleader.

By the time she got to her locker at the end of the day, Kim was drained. Not only that, but her wings hurt from being constricted by the coat. "This is coming off as soon as I get in the house," she promised.

"Sounds like a plan, KP," Ron said as he leaned against the next locker.

"Hey, Ron." Suddenly remembering, she looked at him, "I talked to Wade. It looks like whatever you did to get us away from Drakken drained the batteries on the kimmunicator."

"Oh." He looked away, nervous, "Sorry about that."

"I'm glad you did it," she told him. "I just wish I knew what 'it' is." Scowling slightly, she asked, "You were planning on telling me how we got out of there, right?"

He chuckled once, "Honestly, KP, I've been a little distracted. But, hey," he shrugged, "I'll tell you on the way home."

"I guess we've both been a little distracted," Kim admitted. "Okay, you tell me on the way and I won't hurt you."

"Whew," Ron said wiping his brow, "that's a load off my mind." Suddenly scowling, he shifted his shoulders as if working out a kink. "My back has hurt all day," he told her. "It's like I'm carrying a big weight or something."

Raising an eyebrow, Kim said, "Or a pair of wings?"

"Huh? Oh." Ron turned pink, "I, uh, hadn't thought of that."

"Possible!"

"When did Bonnie start calling you by your last name?" Ron asked her as they turned to see the cheerleader heading toward them with the rest of the team in tow.

"Why not," Kim replied, "you did, Zorpox."

"I wasn't myself," He added.

Before Kim could reply to him, however, the group was in front of them. Bonnie held up the note as she said, "How could you just up and quit the squad like this?"

"I thought you always wanted the job of head cheerleader, Bonnie," Kim said, forcing herself to stay cool.

"I wanted to be the head cheerleader with _you on the squad_," Bonnie growled.

"Sorry," Kim forced herself not to shrug, "but I can't."

Tara spoke up, "It's something to do with that coat, right? I mean, you haven't taken it off all day."

Through their link, Ron felt the chill run down Kim's spine as clearly as if it had been his own. His mind raced as he tried to think of something to help his friend. Then, a calm came over him.

"It does," Kim said, "but I can't tell you any more than that. I'm sorry." The former head cheerleader turned and walked away, her head almost invisible to the squad due to the hump formed by the jacket.

* * *

Vaguely, she was aware of Ron catching up to her, but his attempts to cheer her fell on deaf ears. Finally, he stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "You could just tell them the truth," he said.

"And end up either a freak or a science experiment," she replied. "I've been thinking about it all day, Ron. And just wearing this outfit makes me an outcast." Kim shook her head, "I don't want to think of what will happen if everyone knew." A figure stepped out from between two parked cars to block the sidewalk. "Shego."

"What? Where?" Ron turned to see the villainess grinning at them. Looking back at Kim, he grinned, "Leave her to me."

"Have you lost your mind?" She asked.

"No. Just watch." Ron's grin took on a demented slant as he whirled toward the woman in green and black. "So," he said, rubbing his hands together, "you came back."

"Huh?" Shego was thrown off guard when the 'buffoon' began walking toward her.

"Boo-ya-ha-ha," Ron laughed. "The sidekick has returned. And you remember what happens to sidekicks, right?"

Kim was stunned when the color drained from Shego's face as she glanced quickly at the ground behind her. _What is that about? _She wondered.

"Look," Shego began, firing up her hands, "why don't you get out of the way and I'll just take care of miss perfect once and for all."

"Now, what happened the last time you tried that?" Ron asked.

"Uh," Shego's hands flickered once, then went out.

"That's right," Ron said, still approaching. "You learned your place, didn't you? Boo-ya-ha," the last syllables being uttered in an amused whisper.

"I don't . . ." Shego began to back away, her resolve slipping quickly into fear. "I didn't . . ."

Ron raised one hand as he neared. As he did, Shego's eyes grew. "I'm very disappointed, Shego."

Kim was amazed. The villain she had fought time and again without ever seeing a spark of fear was now backing away from Ron as if he was the devil himself. Finally, Shego gave off a small "Eep!" turned and ran.

The two teens watched her flee until she went around the corner. Then, as Ron turned back to Kim, she started to speak, only to be stopped by the sudden look of fear that came over his face.

"KP, look out!" Ron called, pointing behind her.

"Gotcha!" Before Kim could turn, she felt someone grab the top of the coat and try to pull it off. _You idiot_, she thought as she tried to shake them off, _it's buttoned up!_

"Let go, Drakken," Kim ordered, still trying to get free.

"Why," Drakken was jerked to his left, "won't," now back to the right, "this thing," two good shakes, "come off?"

"It's buttoned," she told him, finally throwing herself backward on top of him. "Oh, nooo," she called out as the two of them rolled over the side and down a small hill.

As series of "ow's" and "ouch's" joined a few "oof's" as the two made their way to the bottom. But what concerned Ron was the sound of ripping fabric. He had made his way almost halfway down the hill when a figure stood up. Even if Ron hadn't recognized her from her size, shape or hair, the two wings that were now freed from their prison would have been a dead giveaway.

Drakken rose from where he had landed with scraps of brown cloth in his hand. His jaw was open as he stared. He stood there until Kim whirled on him.

"You just _had_ to do this, didn't you?" she snarled. "You couldn't leave well enough alone! What ever made you think that gassing me was a good idea?"

"I, uh," Drakken backed away.

"ANSWER ME!"

He cowered, grinned and brought up his hands as he tried to act innocent. "I just wanted to see if, you know, your mutation would make you something that would get you cast out of society. You know," he gave a fake chuckle, "so you'd stop keeping me from taking over the world."

"And this is better?" she asked as her wings swept around her like a cloak. "Seeing me like this make you feel like a real man?" Suddenly, her wings swept out to the sides. "Get a good look, Drakken. Because if you _ever_ give me a reason to come after you again, you're gonna swear that I'm an avenging angel coming to bring you your own personal doomsday. YOU GOT THAT!"

"Uh," he shivered, "I understood that quite well." He grinned a little wider. "Excuse me." Then, he turned and ran.

Kim glared at his back until she heard Ron say, "Uh, KP . . ." Turning, she saw him pointing up the hill. At the top of the hill, a small crowd of people were staring down at her. Among them, she noticed, were Josh Mankey and Tara, as well as other students she couldn't name immediately.

"Just great," she muttered. "So much for giving myself time."

"We should go, KP," Ron told her.

"Yeah." Frowning, she said, "Ron, I dropped my books at the top of the hill. Would you mind carrying them home for me?"

"Uh, sure," Ron agreed. "Are you hurt or something?"

"No," she shook her head as she approached him. "I just want to get away from them as soon as I can." Tucking her wings in tight, she ran up the hill as fast as she could. Reaching the top, she scooped up her books and handed them to Ron, who was right behind her. "Later," she told him as she turned toward the hill and spread her wings.

"Wait," Ron began. But he was too late. After a few running steps, Kim Possible was doing something she'd have sworn was _IM_possible just a few days before.

She flew.

Using the updrafts, Kim was soon able to circle back around to make sure Ron had gotten away from the crowd okay. She saw him almost a block away from the scene of the fight. Looking up and directly at her, he gave a thumbs up. _He said he can feel what I'm feeling,_ she thought. _I hope he can feel how wonderful this is. Ron deserves a feeling like this a lot more than I do._

Below, Ron smiled as he felt the thrill of the wind rushing by wings. _I hope she doesn't mind me doing this,_ he thought. _But I just wanted to know what it felt like. Boy, if anyone deserves to look like an angel, it's Kim. Oh, yeah,_ he dropped his arm and turned to continue walking, _she deserves that feeling of freedom. Nobody more than KP._

* * *

"Shego!" Drakken stormed into the lair and began to look for the raven-haired woman. Finally, he found her sitting in a small room, staring at the wall.

"What happened out there?" he demanded.

"He," she shook her head, "he surprised me, that's all."

"Surprise is jumping in the air, not turning and running," He growled.

"Are," she swallowed, "are you mad at me?"

"Mad?" He leaned in close, "I'm a mad scientist, remember? YOU FIGURE IT OUT!" As her hair stopped blowing from the verbal assault, Drakken saw her shaking. _Shego never shakes,_ he thought. "What did that buffoon do to you?"

"He almost dumped me in a pool of sharks, for one," Shego told him.

"Oh, the sharks," he brightened slightly. "I hope someone fed them," he said, tapping his chin.

"He almost fed them _me_!"

"Oh, come on," Drakken smiled, "you can take a mere half dozen sharks."

"Well," she scowled, "I guess."

"What's really bothering you?" He asked kneeling next to her.

"He . . ." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "He found a way to block my plasma."

"Ah," Drakken nodded, "that explains where the belt went."

"You had that all along and didn't tell me?" She looked at him in surprise.

"I never needed it," he told her. "I knew that, despite everything, you'd never kill me." The grin faded, "Hurt me, yeah. Insult me," he went on, his face darkening, "sure. Even tell me that I'm not evil enough. But you'd never kill me."

Confused, she looked at him, "What makes you so sure?"

"Hypnotic mind control," Drakken said as he stood and walked away.

"Mind control?" Shego scowled. Then, she stood and followed him.

A green light flickered on the chair just before Drakken started yelling, "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Can't you take a joke? Ahh!"

* * *

Kim landed outside the back door to her house. She nodded to herself on how much easier it was getting as she went in through the back door. The remains of the coat were dropped into the trash can in the kitchen as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

"About time," came Ron's voice from the chair. "I put your books by the desk," he said, gesturing.

"Sorry to bail on your like that," she said, sitting on the end of the bed.

"Eh," he grinned, "it gave me an excuse to sit up here and wait like some kind of bad guy."

"Speaking of bad guys," Kim said, reaching out to hook a foot under the end of Ron's seat and pulling him closer, "what happened with Shego back there?"

Ron grinned even more, "It'll probably only work once, but I just reminded her of how close I came to dumping her in a tank of sharks when she took me to the lair."

"When you got Dr. Drakken's evil energy," Kim rested an elbow on her knee, then put her chin on her hand.

"You got it." He shrugged, "I did the evil laugh thing and told her that," he grinned manically and his voice rose in pitch, "'sidekicks should be seen and not heard.'"

"I really hated the way you sounded," Kim told him.

"You just don't like your middle name," Ron replied.

"That was _so_ overkill," she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, so you scared Shego? I'm surprised she didn't blast you."

"She tried," Ron shrugged again. "But I found a forcefield belt in Drakken's stuff. I don't think he even knew what it did. So, when she tried to zap me, the forcefield protected me. I think it scared her."

"You found a forcefield belt?" Kim leaned forward, "What happened to it?"

"I gave it to Wade." Ron put his feet up on the bed, then put his arms behind his head, "He said something about working on a more functional version. I know it made my skin tingle when I used it."

"Ooh," she scowled, "that isn't good." She looked out the window as her expression darkened. "They saw me, Ron."

"I know, KP." Pulling his feet from the bed, Ron leaned forward and took one of his friend's hands in his own. "You knew it was going to happen."

"Yeah," she nodded, then dropped her head, "but I'm not use to this myself. What are other people going to think?"

"Who cares?" Ron said, sounding bitter.

"What?" She looked up.

"If, after all you've done, people can't accept you for who you are, then forget about them." He scowled, "There are already people who can't accept you, Kim. And there will be more. But the important ones will stand by you." He put a thumb to his chest, "Like me."

Kim smiled, "Thanks, Ron. It means a lot to know I've still got my best friend."

"Always, KP."

"And me," Rufus said, popping up from his pocket.

"And you, too, Rufus," Kim reached out to pet the naked mole rat. When he vanished back into his pocket, Kim rested her hand on Ron's leg. Then, realizing where it was, she pulled it away.

"Uh," Ron looked away, nervous, "I hope you don't mind, but I kinda gotta taste of what it felt like when you were flying today."

Seeing him blush, Kim smiled as she felt her own cheeks turn pink. "I was kinda hoping you would. That way I can share it with you."

"Too bad I can't just go flying with you sometime."

Kim glanced at her wings, "I don't think I've got enough wingspan for that, Ron."

"I know." Ron glanced from one wing to another, "You know, now that you mention it, you barely have enough wingspan for you to fly, much less to carry passengers."

"So much for starting my own airline," she quipped.

"What are we gonna do, KP?" Ron asked her.

"Keep on, I guess," she said, sounding a little depressed. "I mean, it's not like we got a choice, right?"

"Yeah." Leaning forward, he put his forehead against hers. "Just remember that you always got me, okay?"

"Yeah." They set there for a few minutes before Kim sighed. "You know," she muttered, "we should probably do that homework."

"Uh, huh."

Neither moved until the call came from downstairs for Kim to come to dinner.

* * *

As the two approached the school, Kim frowned into her kimmunicator. "Are you sure they left last night?" she asked Wade. She had given up on the coat, now letting her wings catch the morning breeze. Her outfit was as close to normal as she could find, with her usual jeans and sneakers joined by a green top with an open back.

"It looks like it," he replied. "They didn't stay long, either." Tapping some keys, he smirked, "I've hacked into the management company for the time-share lair. If they try to get their deposit back, I might be able to get their address."

"Wade, you rock," Kim said just before turning off the device and putting it in her pocket.

"I wonder what's going on," Ron asked, looking ahead.

"I guess you scared Shego worse than you thought," Kim replied.

"No," he pointed, "I meant at the school."

"Isn't that the superintendent?" Kim asked.

Superintendent Kevin Burger was indeed standing by the front door of the school, with three police officers next to him.

"I've got a really bad feeling here, KP," Ron told her.

"You too?" Nervous but trying to be calm, she walked beside Ron as they neared the door.

"Miss Possible," Burger said stepping in front of her, "we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked.

Burger turned to Ron, "This doesn't concern you. Go on to class."

"Sorry," Ron said, unmoving, "but I'm not going anywhere without my partner. We're a team."

"It's okay, Ron," she told him. "I'll catch up."

"Nothing doing, KP. Remember what I said about always being there?" He set his feet, "This is part of it. Nope, not moving." _Besides,_ he thought to himself, _you're so nervous I can feel you shaking._

"Very well," Burger growled before turning to Kim. "Miss Possible, I became aware of your, uh," he motioned with his nose toward Kim's wings, "additions when I received a phone call yesterday."

"'Additions?'" Ron asked.

"Quiet!"

"Sorry."

"Anyway," the superintendent went on, "after some consideration, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to continue to attend classes at Middleton High."

Her blood ran cold. "I'm," she struggled for the word, "I'm expelled?"

"You can't kick KP out!" Ron barked.

"I can," Burger said, getting in Ron's face, "and I have." Turning back to the girl, he held out an envelope. "These are the papers. These police officers will escort you to your locker and see to it that you do not leave with any school property. Good day." Turning, left.

"They can't do that!" Ron complained.

Kim sighed as she looked at the envelope. "I guess he can."

"Ma'am," one of the officers said, "I'm real sorry about this."

"You're just doing your job," Kim told him, smiling a little.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it," another said.

"I'd rather tell him where to stuff this duty," the third, a woman, said as she glared at the retreating back of the bureaucrat. "But I've got a kid to think about."

"It's no big," she said, forcing herself to perk up. "At least I won't have to worry about a pop quiz from Mr. Barkin."

* * *

The other students stared as Kim, her escort, and Ron came through the halls. They stopped at her locker, where a small cart was sitting. As the three officers watched, Kim opened her locker.

"Kim," Wade appeared on the computer, "I just got word that Superintendent Burger is going to try to . . ." He saw the crowd. "Oh, I guess he did."

"This a school computer?" the female officer asked.

"No, it's mine," Kim told her, sounding tired. She didn't notice Ron looking around angrily. As quickly as she could, Kim emptied the locker of everything but the computer. Her personal effects she placed in her backpack, with the school supplies going on the cart. "I'll come back for the computer," she said.

"I'm afraid there's a restraining order against you entering school property," another officer said.

"What?" Kim's eyes widened. "A restraining order? On me?"

"The, uh," the first officer swallowed, then went on, "superintendent thought that, with your history of aggressive behavior --"

"Also known as saving the world!" Ron chimed in.

Ignoring the remark, the officer went on, "you might try to exact some kind of revenge on the school."

"It's not the school I'm mad at," she remarked. Seeing the crowd, she sighed and stepped forward.

"Uh, hi. Yes, this is what it looks like. Well," she shrugged, "almost. I'm not being arrested, just being kicked out. I guess they have a thing about wings," she added as she spread them. "Maybe I'll see you around." No one would have guessed from the way she calmly fold her wings and walked out of the school that all she wanted to do was go home and hide until the humiliation was gone.

No one but Ron Stoppable. At the door, he said, "I'll be over as soon as I can, KP."

"It's no big, Ron," she lied. The look in his eye, however, told her that he didn't believe it any more than she did. But he knew she needed to play it this way, so he grinned, nodded, then walked away.

* * *

No sooner had Kim been escorted off the campus than Ron was in the office demanding to see the principal. Normally, the receptionist would have been able to give him a stern look and the boy would have backed down. This time, however, she could see a blaze in his usually calm eyes that made her nervous. "I, I'm afraid he isn't in today."

"Then who's in charge?"

"Assistant principal Gilley."

"Where is he?"

"In his office."

Three seconds later, the door to Gilley's office flew open as Ron walked in. Gilley was a thin man with the look of an accountant. He had been Barkin's assistant for several years, although they couldn't be any different. His hair had been reduced to a thin gray strip around his head from his temples back. He was usually without his jacket and with his sleeves rolled up. His blue eyes looked up form his paperwork to glare at the student standing before him.

"I prefer people knock before they rip my door off of its hinges," he told Ron.

"Why did they kick out Kim Possible?"

"Kim Possible is a threat to the safety of the other students." Gilley leaned back, "Her wings could create dangerous situations that the school is not insured for."

"Dangerous situation?" Ron shook his head, "who came up with this line of balogna?"

"The superintendent . . ."

"Is a moron," Ron cut in. "Where's Barkin? I can't believe he'd stand for this."

"Mr. Barkin put in his resignation this morning." Gilley held up the paper he was holding, "Effective immediately."

Ron swallowed. "Well," he muttered, "I guess he _didn't_ stand for it."

"Anything else before I give you detention, Mr. Possible?"

"Don't bother," Ron told him. "I won't be there." Turning on his heal, Ron left the office.

* * *

"They expelled you for having wings?" Dana Possible asked her daughter over the phone.

Kim looked at the paper in front of her. "They say I create a 'dangerous environment for the other students.'"

"I'll have our lawyer look at that." Frowning, the mother made a small mark on an x-ray as she held the phone with the other hand. "I don't think there's a leg for them to stand on."

"It doesn't matter, Mom," Kim said, dropping her head. "I can't go back, now."

"Kim, the other students have already seen them."

"It's not that," the girl protested, "it's how they expelled me. They could have just called me into an office, but it's like they _wanted_ a scene."

"Hmm," the brain surgeon and former geneticist turned from the x-ray. "It does sound like this was done for a reason." There was a sound on the other end of the line. "Kimmie, are you okay?"

Kim shook her head as Ron climbed back to his feet. "It's okay, Ron just tripped over the entryway."

"What's he doing there? Shouldn't he still be in school?"

"I'll ask him." Kim covered the mouthpiece, "What are you doing here?"

"As if I could stay there today?" Ron asked, looking offended. "The only thing I'd be thinking about would be how you're doing. So," he shrugged, "I decided to save myself the frustration factor."

"He's here because he's worried about me," she said into the phone.

"Well," Dana shook her head, "tell him to call his mother. I'm sure she'll make sure he doesn't do it again."

"Uh," Kim rolled her eyes, "okay."

"And Kimmie," her mother said, "I'll call the lawyer. He'll want to see those papers. But, in any case, I'm sure that when this gets out other schools will stand in line to have you attend."

"I hope so, Mom," Kim told her. "I was looking forward to so much stuff."

"Like homework?" Ron asked, sitting across from her.

"So not funny, Ron," Kim glared despite the chuckle she could hear from her mother.

"I'll see you tonight, Kimmie," her mother told her. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will. Love you, Mom."

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye." Kim hung up the phone, then seemed to shrink slightly. "I can't believe it. One day I'm the head cheerleader and two days later I'm kicked out of school. Oh," she added, "Mom said for you to call your mom."

"I will," he promised. "Just so you know, Barkin resigned."

"He did?" Kim stared. "They didn't put _Gilley_ in charge?"

"It looks that way." Ron leaned back in his chair, "So, KP, what are we gonna do, now?"

"'We,' Ron?"

"Hey," he frowned, "you know wherever you go, I go. Uh," he shrugged, "except the ladies room, of course."

"I would hope not," she replied. "Ron, you can still go back to school."

"Not after the conversation I had with Principal De Sade."

"You called him that?" Kim asked, stunned.

"No, but he's still not gonna want me back after I called the superintendent a moron."

"You didn't."

"Yeah," he looked away, embarrassed.

"Ron, what were you thinking?"

"I was angry over what they did to you!" He leaped to his feet and, to Kim's continued surprise, began to pace. "You've saved the world time and again, and they have the nerve to do this? I can't believe that guy!"

"Ron," Kim reached a hand up toward him, "you're freaking me out, here."

Seeing her hand, Ron took it in one of his own. "Sorry, KP," he said, immediately calmer. Sitting down again, he frowned, "Man, what am I gonna tell Mom and Dad?"

"They haven't kicked you out yet, Ron," Kim told him. Looking in disgust at the papers on the table, she frowned, "Unlike me."

"You know," Ron said, frowning, "this really takes 'sick and wrong' to a whole new level."

"I can't argue with that," she replied.

* * *

Drakken was looking in a microscope when the phone next to him rang. After the first ring caused him to jump enough to drop the microscope on his toe, he spent the next minute hopping around and holding his foot. Shego answered the phone as she watched him finally lose his balance and fall onto his backside.

"Drakken's lair," she said into the receiver. "No," she shook her head, "we didn't move in on your time. We've got it for another week."

Having gotten back on his feet, Drakken leaned close and said, "Who's on the phone?"

Shego covered the mouthpiece, "It's Monkey Fist. He thinks we're here early."

"We've got the place for another week," Drakken said, frowning.

"That's what I told him." Uncovering the receiver, she said, "No, another week. Not another day." She covered the phone again, rolled her eyes, then told Drakken, "He's saying we need to be out by tomorrow."

"Not likely," Drakken stood straight and crossed his arms.

"Not likely," she repeated to Monkey Fist. Her eyes widened, "What? Where'd you hear that? Oh," she nodded. "Well, the buffoon had Dr. D's evil energy in him." She listened, then grinned, "Actually, he was very good at it. Almost fed me to some sharks. No, _sharks_."

"Those were _my_ sharks," Drakken pointed out.

"Yeah," she told him, "I know." Turning back to the phone, she laughed, "Oh, we've done even better since then." She paused as she listened, then said, "No, he's back to normal. Or he was."

"Who are you talking about?" Drakken said, jealous that he couldn't hear what was being said.

"No, we hit both of them with a gas to make Kimmie mutate." She flinched as the volume increased. "What are you yelling for?"

"Give me the phone," Drakken demanded.

"Eh," Shego handed it to him, "he's getting all animal-like." She walked away, leaving Drakken with the phone and the broken microscope.

"So," Drakken said into the phone, "why are you yelling at Shego?" He looked confused. "Hello? Hello?" Pulling the phone away from his ear, Drakken stared at it. "He hung up."


	4. Chapter 4

**FULL POTENTIAL:** a Kim Possible fanfiction

by Ranger Thorne

"Hey, Kimmie." Kim turned as her father climbed onto the roof.

"Hi, Daddy," she said, smiling at him. "What brings you up here?"

"Phone," he held out the cordless handset. "I'll be back in a while for it."

"Thanks," she said, taking the phone, then watching him walk back to the ladder. "Hello?"

_"Hey, KP,"_ Ron's voice said.

"Hi, Ron," she said, smiling. "How'd it go?"

_"Oh, about as bad as I expected,"_ was the slightly amused reply. _"Mr. Gilley called Dad at work, who called Mom at work, who called Mr. Gilley at school to get the story from him. By the time I got here they were getting ready to put my stuff out for a yard sale."_

"I take it you talked them out of it?" She shook her head with affection for the blond.

_"Barely. As it is, Gilley has suspended me for a week so I can 'clear my head.' If my head was any clearer you'd be able to see through it. But,"_ his voice became serious, _"the bad part is that they want me to stay away from you until this is worked out."_

"What?" _I can take about anything other than that,_ the redhead thought to herself.

_"They said that, until you get your 'problem,'"_ she could almost see him making the 'air quotes' gesture_, "figured out that I should stay away so I don't make things worse." _The seriousness became tinged with anger, _"I tried to get Mom to tell me what 'problem' she was referring to, but she wouldn't."_

"Hey --" she tried to calm him.

_"I'm not letting their fear of someone different keep me away from someone I love,"_ he growled. _"It's just not going to hap . . ."_ There was a long moment before he finished the word, _" . . . pen." _Kim was silent as she waited. Finally, she heard him swallow. _"I said that out loud, didn't I?"_

"Yes." Kim grinned, "I was wondering when you'd say something."

_"You knew?"_

"Why do you think I broke up with Josh, Ron?" She rolled her eyes, "I've known for a while. I kinda figured it out when the thought of going out with anyone but my best friend felt like I was doing something wrong."

_"Wait," _he said, _"you felt like you were doing something wrong? Okay, I'm confused."_

"It's simple," she lay back on the roof with her wings wrapping around her, "I love you, too."

_"Oh."_ Again there was silence. _"You know,"_ he finally said,_ "I thought I'd be dancing off the walls if you ever said that. But, somehow, I guess I knew, too. Uh, when did you figure it out?"_

"Ron, you follow me all over the world doing things that scare you. Why else would you do it?"

_"Oh." _After a long pause, he asked, _"So, what do we do, now?"_

"Take it slow, and see where it goes, silly," she sat up and spread her wings wide. "We're both afraid to go too fast, because it might hurt our friendship, right?"

_"Oh, yeah," _he agreed. _"That's what I was worried about with the whole moodulator thing."_

"That was the final straw," she told him. "I thought about it that night, and realized that my feelings for you hadn't changed. I was just able to keep them hidden again."

_"Well,"_ she could hear him grin, _"you don't have to hide them any more, KP."_

"I won't," she promised. "But give me time to get use to this new sitch before you try anything."

_"Ah,"_ he moaned, _"you mean I can't, like, buy you flowers or something?"_

"That's okay," she corrected. "I was thinking more along the lines of personal stuff."

_"Like sappy poetry?"_

Scowling, she snapped, "Like kissing, okay?" Kim sighed when she heard him laugh. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

_"Now why would I do that, KP?"_ His voice dropped, _"Mom said she's gonna call home at random times to see if I'm here. But, I've wired the phone in my room so it has a 10-mile radius. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"You rewired the phone?" Her eyes widened.

"_It's no big,"_ he said. _"You just have to take the transmitter and --"_

"It's okay," she interrupted him. "I'll take your word for it." She stood, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ron."

_"Just not as early,"_ he replied. _"We don't have to go to school, so I'm sleeping in."_

"Fine with me," Kim told him as she spread her wings and stepped off of the roof. "Good night, Ron."

_"Night, Kim,"_ Ron replied as her feet touched the ground. The dial tone sounded until she turned off the handset. Walking in the back door, she smiled at her mother as she passed on into the living room.

"Hey, Kimmie-Cub," her father said from his chair. A technical journal was open on his lap. "I was going to come up and get that," he told her.

"No big, Dad," she told him as she put it in the base. "I was about to come in, anyway."

"Oh, all right, then." He watched as she arranged her wings behind her and sat down on the couch. "Is everything all right with Ron, Kimmie?"

"I don't know," she said, suddenly tired. "His parents are telling him to keep his distance until my 'problem' is worked out."

"What problem is that?" he asked, his journal forgotten.

"They wouldn't tell him." Clenching her fists, she pressed them down onto her thighs. "I've tried to not be prejudiced against anybody, but it sounds like someone's doing it to _me_."

James Possible put the journal aside and stood. Being careful not to sit on her wings, he sat next to her on the sofa. "Kimmie," he said, softly, "people do that. It can because you have red hair or a strange name. Or," he brushed a hand over a wing, "because you remind them that they _can't_ do everything." Using a finger, he turned his daughter's face toward him. "If Ron's parents have a problem with what and who you are, that's their problem, not yours. And the same goes for school."

"Oh, yeah," She frowned, "school. Speaking of problems."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Kimmie," her father said, standing to return to his chair. "I've got a few friends I can call tomorrow. You'll be going to a fine school in no time."

* * *

The doorbell rang as Kim finished cleaning the breakfast dishes. Despite not having to go to school, she had awakened early. Out of the need to do something, she had started cleaning. The kitchen was now spotless as she walked to the front door. "Ron," she began as she opened the door, "you can come on . . ." the rest of her words died in her throat as a several flashbulbs went off at once. Stunned, she only watched as even more went off and microphones were shoved into her face.

_"Miss Possible, is it true that Global Justice gave you those wings?"_

_"Miss Possible, is it true that you can fire death rays from your eyes?"_

_"Miss Possible, did you get your wings because of a deal with the Devil?"_

Recovering, Kim stepped back and slammed the door. _I had the door wide open,_ she thought as she leaned against the door. _They saw my wings! And they already knew about them!_ "But now," she said aloud, "they have pictures." Sliding down the door, she sat with her back against it, for once afraid to move other than to wrap her wings around herself like a shield.

* * *

Ron saw the mob from the far end of the block. Frowning, he slowed his approach. As they got closer, Rufus popped his head up to see what the commotion was about. "Kim?" he asked, looking up at Ron's face.

"They know about the wings," Ron said, his face darkening. Pulling the cordless phone from his pocket, he dialed a number.

_"Hello?"_ Wade's voice answered.

"Hey, Wade, it's Ron."

_"Hi. Uh, why are you calling on the phone?"_

"I scrounged parts from my kimmunicator so I could rewire my phone for longer distances. That way my Mom wouldn't know I went to see Kim." Ron shook his head, "But that's not important right now. There's a mob of reporters outside KP's house. They must have heard about the wings."

"That's not good," Wade replied. "Kim'll freak."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Glaring at the mob, he asked, "You think of any way to get them away from here? Uh, oh," Ron commented as one of the group turned and saw him.

_"Recognized?"_

"Uh, huh." Ron saw one of the group peel off and head toward him. "I better get back to you, Wade."

_"Go slow,"_ Wade advised,_ "maybe you can pull some of them away from Kim."_

"It's an idea," Ron nodded. "Be in touch."

_"I'll try to find a way to get the rest of those reporters away from the door." _The line went dead.

"Mr. Stoppable," the reporter was asking as he neared, "is it true that you and Kim Possible have been having an affair while between missions to save the world?"

Ron turned red as he stepped forward to grab the man. Holding him by the lapels of his jacket, Ron growled, "Kim and I have never done anything like that. Do I make myself clear?"

"Uh," the man's eyes widened, "crystal. Hey, I'm just doing my job."

"Do it somewhere else."

The man protested, "Hey, what about freedom of the press?"

"What about the freedom to tear your arms off?"

"Wait a minute," the guy said, "you're one of the good guys. You don't do stuff like that."

"Dude, I was a good guy until you people started harassing my best friend," Ron told him. "Right now I'm a very angry young man who'd like nothing better than to beat the snot out of some stupid reporter."

"Yeah, from what I hear, you ain't too tough. You have to be rescued by a girl."

Ron's hand flashed back, ready to strike when he heard a familiar voice call out, "Ron, don't!"

* * *

Kim had pulled herself from the floor, then made her way to the kitchen and out the back door. _I'll just fly away,_ she thought. _I'll fly to the Rocket Center and hide in Dad's office until he comes home._

Leaping onto the roof for a head start, she glanced over the top of it to see Ron in the distance bearing down on a reporter. _He looks very angry,_ she noticed. With her enhanced distance vision, she could almost make out his words. Then, his hand drew back as he prepared to strike the man in front of him. "Ron," she shouted, "don't!"

Ron turned toward the house, seeing Kim's head sticking up over the apex of the roof. Letting go of the man, he turned and walked away.

"I'll sue you for threatening me," the man promised.

"I'm a minor, moron," Ron shot back without turning. "And I've got a history of saving the world."

"That's Kim, Stoppable."

"No," Ron turned to grin at him, "That's Kim _Possible_. I wish you people could get that straight." Turning, Ron lifted Rufus from his pocket, then broke into a jog. _Not that I'd mind if she changed it, someday,_ he thought to himself as he turned the corner.

Kim watched as Ron let the man go, then turned to leave. Instead of turning toward his house, however, Ron went the other way at the corner. _But, the only thing that way is . . ._ Kim smiled.

* * *

Ron stood near the trees at the back end of the park. The reporters had, with the one exception, ignored him, so he hadn't needed to bother losing them. _Why would they treat me any different now than they use to?_ He asked himself. Across the clearing was a bench he and Kim had sat on several times when they needed to get some air and think. _It's also where KP almost let Josh embarrass her to death,_ he thought to himself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kim's voice came from right beside him.

"AAHH!" He jumped in the air. Landing, he glared, "Don't do that!"

Kim laughed, "Sorry Ron, but you just looked so serious." Looking in the direction he had been, her smile faded a little. "Oh, I'd forgotten about that." She kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks again for saving my life, Ron."

"Uh," he put a hand over the cheek as he blushed, "anytime, KP."

"I know," she said as she shifted her wings and walked toward the bench. "And I owe you for that, too." She looked around for any signs of reporters, then sat on the bench, draping her wings over the back.

"Hey, how many times have you saved me?"

Kim sighed, "Only because you were there to back me up, Ron." She smiled again, "The way I see it, those don't count."

"They do to me, KP," Ron said, leaning in to kiss her cheek this time. "I like how you match your hair," he commented as she blushed. "Ow," he said, grinning as she tapped him on the knee.

Looking away, Kim became serious, "Ron, when they rang the bell, I opened the door wide. They got a picture of me." She shook her wings, "Me and my wings."

"Uh, oh," Ron said, looking worried. The phone in his pocket rang. "Hello?" His eyes rolled, "Mom, if I wasn't home, would I be able to answer the phone?" He waited some more as his mother spoke. "We'll talk about it later. Bye." He hung up.

"You really did rewire your phone," Kim said, impressed.

"Compared to the mega weather generator, it was no big," Ron shrugged as the phone rang again. "Yes?" he asked, annoyed.

_"Gee, sorry,"_ Wade said. _"I call at a bad time?"_

"Oh, sorry Wade. I thought you were my mother."

_"Wear a sweater and clean your room," _Wade said with a grin evident in his voice. _"How's that?"_

Ron grinned, "Put in a 'clean up after Rufus' and you're getting there. So, what's up?"

_"I wasn't able to do anything about the reporters. But, I had a hit on the website that someone might have seen Kim flying away."_

"She's right here with me, Wade." He looked at Kim, "You bring the kimmunicator?"

Pulling it out of a pocket, she said, "Right here. Even charged it."

"Kim's got her kimmunicator, if you want to use it." As if on cue, the familiar four tones sounded. "Okay, I guess that answers that question."

The boy's face appeared on the screen. "I've also got some strange news. Drakken and Shego are both in another timeshare lair. But, the landlord has been asked by Monkey Fist to kick them out."

"He would have to show up now," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"Easy, Ron," Kim said, glancing at him before turning back to Wade. "That is kind of strange. But not beyond belief."

"No." Wade leaned forward and looked at Kim. "Wow, those look nice. They fit you somehow."

Kim turned slightly pink, "Uh, thanks, Wade."

"Could we stay on the topic, here?" Ron asked.

"Sorry," Wade replied, "it's just the first time I've seen Kim since she, uh . . ."

"Mutated?" Kim offered.

"That word just seems so dry," Wade scowled. "How about 'matured?'"

Kim smirked at him, "I think I like that one better. Now, maybe we should pay a visit to Drakken?"

"I was thinking maybe Monkey Fist," Wade replied. "You handled Drakken and Shego yesterday."

"Oh, yeah," Ron rolled his eyes, "we have to have _variety_ in super bad guys."

"Chill, Ron," Kim said, smiling at him, "just because it's Monkey Fist doesn't mean you need to freak out."

"Actually, KP," Ron explained, "it's because it _is_ Monkey Fist that I need to freak out."

"Uh, oh," Wade frowned as he looked away. "I've been monitoring the radio traffic of the local media and a couple of them are heading your way. Someone must have seen Kim landing nearby."

"This is already old," Kim grumbled.

* * *

Drakken started as the door to the lab burst open. "What, what's going on?" he demanded.

Monkey Fist strode into the room, scowling. "What did you do to the boy?"

"Boy?" Drakken looked around, confused. "What boy?"

"I think," Shego said, coming in from the door across the room, "he means Stoppable."

"Who?"

"THE BUFFOON!" Shego and Monkey Fist yelled at once.

"Jinx," she said to the man-monkey, "you owe me a soda."

"Fine," Fist grumbled, "I'll get you one later." He focused on Drakken again, "I felt something in the mystical monkey realm. It's like there was a sudden new star in the sky. _What did you do to him?_"

"Uh," Drakken brought his fingers together and smiled. "Well, you see, I realized that Kim Possible couldn't be a --"

"He inhaled some kind of gas," Shego interrupted. Looking at Drakken, she said, "It was a bio-something-or-other."

"Biochemical mutagenic inhibitor neutralizer, Shego," Drakken said, annoyed that she'd interrupted him.

"He was just trying to get Possible," Shego went on. "But you know Stoppable, if she's there, he's there."

"So he inhaled the gas as well?" Fist asked.

"Uh, yeah," Drakken nodded.

"What effect does it have on normal people?"

"You know," Shego said, resting her hands on her hips, "that's a good question. Isn't it Dr. D?"

"Heh, heh," Drakken laughed. "A _very_ good question, Shego." He stepped back, "I think I'll go investigate that right now."

"You used a gas on Stoppable without knowing if it would make him _stronger?"_ Fist rolled his eyes before saying, "Did you even know what it would do to the girl?"

"Well," Drakken nodded, "yes, of course. It caused her mutated genes to, well, mutate."

"She got a lovely pair of wings out of it," Shego told Fist.

"Wings?" Monkey Fist started to reach out to choke Drakken, but stopped himself. _The woman is the threat,_ he told himself. He took a deep breath, then spoke again. "So, you used a gas on Miss Possible?"

Drakken grinned, "Yes. And now she'll be an outcast."

"And where did it come from?" Fist crossed his hands in front of him, looking calm.

Turning, Drakken lifted a cylinder from the table. "I derived the neutralizer from the inhibitor her parents used to keep her mutation at bay." He looked at the metal tube as he said, "It's very strong. Even caused Shego's mutation to go dormant."

"You did _not_ just say that," Shego said, her eyes widening.

"Yes," Fist grinned, "he did." He dove for Drakken at the same time Shego dove for him. He was closer to the mad scientist, however, and was able to grab the cylinder before he felt the villainess slam into him. As they rolled, Fist transferred the tube to his feet as he grabbed Shego's wrists to keep the glowing hands from frying him.

"Give me that thingy!" Shego demanded.

"Of course," he smiled, "you only had to ask." With a twist, he released the gas. Then, he brought his articulated foot up to spray it into Shego's face. She dove away, trying to escape, but he quickly followed, now with the cylinder in his hand. "I don't think you're going to like it, though."

"I'll cough get you cough cough for this," Shego promised as she backed to the wall.

"Probably," he shrugged. "But for now you're no longer a threat." He held onto the cylinder as he turned back to Drakken. "Now, Doctor," he said as he approached, "where is the neutralizer you used on Stoppable?"

"Uh, here," Drakken held out a glass vial that held a blue liquid with a cork on the end. "You know," he said, "I thought you'd be happy that I was taking Kim Possible out of the equation."

"The girl is not the problem," Fist growled. "The boy and his annoying rodent are the only other ones who have been touched by the mystical monkey power. And now, in your ignorance, you have brought his power to such heights as I never dreamed. But this," he removed the cork, "will make me even more powerful!"

"No!" Shego slammed into his side, causing him to drop the vial. She tried to catch it before it hit the ground, but missed. The vial landed top down, spilling its contents and leaving only a damp stain on the carpet. "Nonononono," Shego clawed at the carpet as if trying to pry some of the mixture from the threads. "Not again," she muttered as she began to shake.

Standing, Fist looked over at Drakken, "You weren't kidding about it neutralizing her powers."

"She's had them so long she can't function without them," Drakken said, looking sadly at her.

"Can you make more of it?"

"I just have to get another sample from . . ." Drakken looked at the cylinder, which had emptied itself, "the tube. Oh, no."

"Are the effects permanent?" Fist asked, hoping that they were.

"No," Drakken shook his head as he looked back at his henchwoman. "But she hates being without her powers."

"Then I should take my leave." _I should kill them both,_ Fist thought, _but they might someday be of some value. Even if Shego does take the opportunity later to hurt me a great deal._ "I apologize for intruding. Good day."

"I'll," Shego shivered, "I'll kill him." Turning a glare on her employer, she added, "This is all your fault."

"Uh," Drakken glanced around then pointed toward a door, "would you like some coco moo?"

* * *

Kim and Ron had almost reached the street when the first cars pulled up. Before they could escape, a crowd of reporters had surrounded them both. The questions were being shouted and microphones and tape recorders were being shoved into Kim's face. Ron, who had been unceremoniously worked to the edge of the crowd, was scowling. The scowl turned to a look of concentration as Rufus chattered in his ear.

"Calm down, Rufus," Ron said. "I gotta concentrate. Kim's so upset she's about to overload my brain. Hey," he smiled. Grabbing his phone, Ron dialed a number. "Wade," he said when there was an answer, "can you rig the Kimmunicator to emit an emp pulse?"

_"Not a large one,"_ Wade told him.

"We just need one large enough to fry a few mics and cameras," Ron told him.

_"That's not very nice, Ron. That stuff's expensive."_

"So's therapy, and KP's gonna need a lot of it if she ends up hurting someone to get away from them."

"Good point," Wade replied. "Okay, in three, two . . ." Ron turned off the phone and quickly pulled out the battery.

"Easiest way to stop an emp pulse from frying your stuff," he told the naked mole rat, "is to shut it down completely." A second later there was a sudden burst of feedback as electronic cameras and microphones suddenly stopped working. Confused, the reporters looked at each other in surprise.

"Coming through!" With a leap, Kim's feet were suddenly at head level as she skipped/glided to the edge of the crowd. "Let's get out of here!" she called to Ron as she grabbed his hand. They ran out of the park as the people behind them began to realize that the object of their interest had fled. "This way," she instructed as they dashed down a side street across from the entrance to the park.

As they ducked down an alley, Ron was suddenly buffeted by one of Kim's wings. It was enough to free him from Kim's grip and knock him off stride enough to trip over his own feet. "Oh, Ron," Kim stopped and looked back at him, "I'm sorry about that."

"No big, KP," Ron replied. Then, he pointed at something over her shoulder, "Look, a fire escape."

"So?"

"You can get to the top of the building and fly away."

After looking over her shoulder at the metal stairway, she turned back to her best friend, "Ron, I can't just leave you. Those people are like vultures."

"Vultures," Ron pointed out as he stood and brushed himself off, "that are not looking for me." Smirking, he added, "Once they realize that you have flown off, they'll leave me alone so fast that I'll feel the vacuum."

"Or," she corrected, "they'll just wait and watch you until they see me again."

"Hmm," he rubbed his chin, "you have a point."

Kim sighed, "Look, I'm going home. Meet me there, okay?"

"On my way, KP." He gave her a small salute along with a big grin. The combination brought a slight smile to her face just before she leaped ten feet into the air to grab onto the fire escape. As he walked down the alley and back onto the street, he put the phone back together. Then, calling Wade's number, he waited the two rings before the technical wizard answered.

_"Hey, Ron,"_ Wade said.

"Uh," Ron raised an eyebrow, "how'd you know it was me?"

_"Caller ID,"_ Wad answered. _"Did you and Kim get away?"_

Ron glanced up in time to see a familiar shape pass overhead, "She's flying out, now." He experienced a rush as his friend's sensations again rushed through his system. "Wade, I have an idea for something that would help Kim out in a pinch."

_"You mean like something to give her altitude?" _The grin was evident in his voice, _"Kind like a booster in her belt or shoes?"_

"You know," Ron grinned, "they shoot know-it-all's, right?"

_"I knew that."_ The two chuckled for a moment. _"Look, Ron,"_ Wade asked, serious, _"are you okay? I mean, you got that gas, too, after all."_

"I didn't get any cool wings or anything," Ron told him. "All I got were my memories back from when I turned evil." He glanced around, then added, "And I sometimes get flashes of what Kim's feeling. It kinda freaks me out," he admitted.

_"Woe,"_ Wade commented. _"I wonder if that has anything to do with you two switching bodies that time?"_

Ron stopped in his tracks. "Wait a minute!" He bit his lip, then nodded, "That makes sense. I mean, I was evil for a time and built that stuff. And I was in Kim's body for a time. So," he took a deep breath, "I'm, like, getting back everything I had a little part of."

_"Sounds like it. You're getting some of the neural feedback you'd get if you were in Kim's body."_

"That's just sick and wrong," Ron commented. Suddenly, his eyes widened, "Oh, no."

_"What?"_

"Wade, remember when I was exposed to the Mystical Monkey Power?"

_"Yeah."_

"What if the gas brought that back, too? I mean," Ron shrugged as he started walking, "I thought I could hear monkeys in my head after I woke up. But it's kinda faded, now."

_"Can you hear it if you concentrate?"_ Wade asked.

"Hmm." Ron scowled, then flinched, "Ugh. Yeah, I can tell what the monkeys at the zoo are doing. And so are . . . Aw, man."

_"What is it?"_

"There are a dozen monkey ninjas waiting for Kim at her house." Ron frowned, "I gotta go, Wade."

_"I'll contact Kim,"_ Wade said just as the connection was broken.

* * *

_Deet-deet-dee-dee!_

As Kim flapped her wings, she reached into her pocket for her kimmunicator. "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"Ron says that Monkey Fist is preparing an ambush at your house," Wade said, looking worried.

"How would Ron know . . . oh."

"Yeah, he told me he could hear the monkey ninjas thinking. Uh," Wade looked nervous, "are you flying?"

"Yes." Kim smirked, "You want to look around?"

"No!" Despite his dark skin, Kim could detect some green. "I just wanted to warn you about Monkey Fist."

"Thanks a lot, Wade," Kim became solemn. "I guess I'll have to take care of this. But, at least this time I've got the high ground."

"Kim, he might have heard the news reports about your wings," Wade warned her.

"Gotta take my chances," she replied. "I mean, I can't let my family wander into the middle of a bunch of monkey ninjas."

"Good point. Well, Ron's on his way."

"Hmm," Kim thought for a second, "he seems to get Monkey Fist's attention more than I do. Maybe this will go easier than I thought."

* * *

Montgomery Fiske, more infamously known as 'Monkey Fist,' rubbed his hands together as he waited. _I'd rather not do this,_ he thought, _but I need to know how powerful the boy has become. That idiot Drakken can't help me, and leaving this to chance is foolish._ "Be ready, my monkey minions," he ordered. "They will be here at any moment."

"How about this moment?"

Monkey Fist turned to see a figure on the roof of the house. The light was shining from behind her, giving her the look of an angel appearing from Heaven. He smiled to himself as he took two steps back. "Ah, Kim Possible. And where is your monkey-phobic friend?"

"Ron?" She shrugged, "Not telling." _Why is he after Ron _this_ time?_ She wondered. "Now, you mind getting out of here? This is private property."

"Not until I have what I came for," Fist replied. He raised his hand and pointed at her, "Monkey ninjas, _attack!_"

The squad of monkeys converged on her location, only to find that she'd leaped off of the roof and into the back yard. The first to recover and approach her were kicked aside. Additional monkeys came at her from the front as more closed from the rear.

Kim struck one monkey, then saw an opportunity to put one out of the fight for a while. Her reflexes kicked in as she tried to perform the spin kick she had done many times before. This time, however, her momentum died halfway through the kick, leaving her off balance and open. One monkey caught her in the midriff with a flying kick while another puncher her in the face, splitting her lip. A third leaped up and landed on one of her wings. Off balance, Kim fell onto her back, bringing a squeak out of the monkey ninja as she landed on it.

Rolling back, she came up on her feet just in time to have four monkeys pounce. Kim dove to the side, managing to avoid three of them. The fourth, however, caught the end of a wing. The extra weight threw off Kim's landing, causing her to land on her stomach. This time the monkey ninjas kept her down.

"Well, Miss Possible," Monkey Fist said as he walked up, "it seems my minions have made short work of you, this time."

Kim winced as a rope was used to tie her hands behind her back. "You know you won't get away with this, right?"

"Get away with what?" he asked. "I'm not here to steal anything. I'm here to see how your little friend is doing."

"Ron? You leave him alone!"

"Ah, so protective," he smiled. "And I imagine he feels the same way. That will make this much easier."

"Monkey Fist," Kim growled, "you leave Ron alone."

"You already said that," he pointed out. Looking at the monkey ninjas, he ordered, "Bring her to the front. I want Stoppable to be able to see her clearly."

* * *

Ron rounded the corner at full speed, only to slow as he again saw a crowd gathered around the Possible home. "This can't be good," he told the naked mole rat perched on his shoulder. Roughly, he forced his way through the crowd until he reached the front.

"Ah," Monkey Fist smiled as he recognized his foe, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to get here."

Ron was silent as he stepped closer. As he walked, he tried to assess the situation. Kim was on her knees in the front yard, tied up and surrounded by monkey ninjas. Monkey Fist was standing next to her. When he reached the edge of the yard, he stopped. "Let her go, you monkey-freak."

"Now, now," Fist admonished him, "let's not be rude." His voice took on an ominous tone, "Or something bad might happen to your girlfriend."

"You touch her and I'll --"

"What? You know you're no match for me at Tai Chi Pek War."

"Then why is it you keep losing?"

Fist scowled at him. "For that, you will have to watch as Miss Possible pays for your bad manners." Grabbing one of her wings, he pulled it away from her back roughly, causing it to spread even as Kim gasped.

"Let go of me," She ordered, struggling.

Locking eyes with Ron, he grabbed the wing with both hands in the middle of one of the top bones and snapped it. Ron's eye bulged as Kim screamed from the pain.

"That's it, monkey-freak!" Ron called out, charging at him.

"Stop there or my monkey ninjas will finish what I started!" Fist ordered as he shoved Kim onto her side.

Halting at the edge of the sidewalk, Ron looked around as an idea came to him. _It's worth a shot,_ he told himself. "Cut Kim loose then go away," he ordered.

"Oh, don't be silly," Fist shot back. "Why would I do something like that?"

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Then who would you be . . ." Now it was Fist's turn to go wide-eyed. Looking around, he could see his minions were busy obeying Ron's command. "What are you doing? I am your master, not him! Stop this!"

As he moved to stop the monkeys from freeing Kim, a blond figure stepped in front of him. "Uh, uh, dude," Ron said as he dropped the naked mole rat to the ground. "You and me gonna finish this." After cracking his knuckles and moving his head from side to side to loosen it, he fell into a ready position. Then waving Monkey Fist toward him, he said, "You think you're so tough, why don't we see who's the real monkey master."

The bystanders gasped as Monkey Fist charged the blond-haired boy. He threw a flurry of punched and kicks at Ron, all of which were blocked. Ron's kick, however, struck Fist in the chest, sending him flying through the air. As the villain rose to his feet, he was forced to defend against an attack from Ron. Three punches and two kicks later, Fist was again pulling himself from the ground.

"Enough," he gasped, holding out a hand as the other arm wrapped around his ribs. "I've seen what I wanted to see."

"What, stars?" Ron asked, still visibly angry.

"No," came the out-of-breath reply, "that what that idiot Drakken did has brought out the Mystical Monkey Power in you." Backing away, he sneered, "See to your girlfriend, boy. We will fight again another day. And your power will be mine!" Turning, he started to run, only to be brought down by a tackle.

"Learned that watching tv," Ron told him as he sat on Fist's back. "Not exactly Monkey Kung Fu, but it does the job."

Face down in the lawn, the criminal managed to spit out a mouthful of grass before he muttered, "Just call the police, already."

* * *

The monkey ninjas were gathered near the front door of the house, quietly waiting for their master to give them orders. The police had just shoved Monkey Fist into a patrol car and were keeping the crowd back. Ron, however, was intent on Kim, who was sitting on the ground, gasping as she tried to move her injured wing.

"Hold on, KP," Ron whispered as he knelt next to her.

"Help me get my wing straight," she whispered back. "Maybe that'll make it stop hurting."

"Maybe you could spread them," he suggested. "It'll make it easier to get it straight." She nodded and, grimacing, spread her wings. The left one stretched out normally, but the right bent where the bone had been broken. Standing, he gently grasped the wing and lifted it into position as he heard Kim groan. "Okay, it's straight. Now, if we can --" he stopped as he felt the wing jump in his hands. "Hey, it's fixed!" The wing was again as straight as the other, with its white feathers moving slightly in the breeze.

"What?" Kim turned and looked at him in confusion. "Ron, bones don't just 'fix' themselves."

"Does it hurt?"

"Uh," she moved the wing around, "no."

"See."

"Ron," Kim rose to her feet and turned to face him, "since when do you have healing powers?"

"What makes you think it was me? I mean," he shrugged, "you've always been a fast healer. Maybe it's just accela, uh, acceli, um, you heal faster."

"Nice to see the big words still escape you sometimes," she teased him as she flexed her suddenly-healed wing.

"Uh, KP," Ron reached out and wiped blood off of her face, "what happened to your lip?"

"Huh? Oh, one of those monkey ninjas hit me."

Ron leaned closer and said, "I don't see where the blood came from. I guess that healed, too."

Reaching up, Kim felt for any sign of the injury. "I-I guess it did." Looking around, she noticed the members of the press that were being held back by the police. "God, Ron, they're like vultures."

Following her gaze, he nodded, "Yeah, I noticed that, too."

"Everybody's gonna see me, now."

"We're probably on the news as we speak." As soon as he said it, Ron knew it was the exact wrong thing. "Uh, I mean --"

"You're right, Ron," Kim's voice had dropped to a whisper. Turning to an officer nearby, she said, "If you need me I'll be in the house."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, trying not to stare at her wings. "I'll tell the captain."

Ron followed her as he said, "You know, KP, as strange as it may be, at least you know where guys are staring." When she stopped dead and turned to look at him, he stammered, "Uh, at your wings, right?"

"Ron," she said, sounding solemn, "if you ever," she started to smirk, "say that again," the smirk became a grin, "I will tickle you into next week." _Leave it to Ron to find something funny in this whole sitch_, she thought as she reached the door. When Ron started to follow her, she placed a hand on his chest. "Look, I need a little time alone, okay? You go do the hero thing. After all, you stopped Monkey Fist by yourself."

"But," he started to protest.

"You earned, it Ron." Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly on the lips. "You're my hero," she whispered before closing the door in his face. It was several seconds before he even noticed it was closed.

* * *

As the animal control officers pulled away with a van-load of ninja monkeys, a familiar car pulled into the drive. A nearly-frantic Dana Possible clambered from the car and ran up to Ron. "Is Kim okay?" she demanded to know. "Where is she? All I saw was a clip of her tied up in the yard."

"She's okay, Mrs. Dr. P," Ron told her. "She had some trouble with the monkey ninjas, but ol' Ron was able to save the day."

"Ron," she scowled at him, "what happened?"

"Uh," his false bravado faded, "I learned I can control monkeys. Then I beat Monkey Fist. Really. Kim went inside." When the mother and doctor turned to go, he put a hand on her arm. "Um, you should know, we found out KP can heal fast. Monkey Fist broke one of her wings and it healed up as soon as I straightened out the bone."

"You tried to set the break?" she looked worried.

"It was the only thing I could think of to try to help her stop hurting," he admitted. "I can't stand to see her in pain."

She looked at him for a long moment before smiling. "I know. That's why I know you'd never hurt her." She shrugged before adding, "You know, it's seldom that a guy is really good enough for a woman's daughter. But seeing how you react every time she's in trouble or in pain really makes me hope you two stay together." A raised eyebrow preceded the comment, "I really wouldn't mind if my future grandchildren's last name was 'Stoppable,' you know." Dana had reached the house before she realized that a stunned Ron Stoppable was standing still in the yard with his eyes very wide. Chuckling with relief, the surgeon went inside.

Ron was starting to move again as the door to the house closed. _Did she mean what I _think_ she means? She hopes KP and I _marry_? And have _kids_? That's got to be what she means, right? Wow, I've got her blessing and I've not even taken Kim on a date, yet._

He was just starting toward the house when he heard Dana Possible's voice cry out from inside. "KIM!"

* * *

Kim had grabbed a glass of water before going upstairs to her room. Once there, she sat on the side of the bed and scooted back so that she could pull her knees up and wrap her arms around them. _I couldn't fight,_ she thought to herself. _I use to beat them, but they beat _me_ this time._ A movement in the corner of her vision caused her to glance over to see that one of her wings was slowly flapping to match her nervous condition. "It was you," she told it. "Both of you," she said as she looked at the other one. "That must be it. You created drag, slowed me down. You made me _helpless_!" she almost screamed the last word as she erupted to her feet.

As she began to pace, she began to rant, "I'm a freak! A, a science experiment gone wrong! My life has been a joke. All those people I've helped just look at me like I'm a bug in a jar. God," she put her hands to her temples, "I just want it all to end." Tears began to leak from her eyes as she looked out the window. "I just want this nightmare to be over."

Trembling slightly, she lifted the water glass to her lips and took a sip. As she pulled it away, she looked at the glass and ran the fingers of her other hand over the lip. "Real glass," she muttered. She stared for a few more seconds, then shook her head. "No," she placed it on her nightstand and walked away from it. "That's not an answer. But," she took a deep breath, "I can't go on living like I'm some kind of weirdo." A determined look settled onto her features, "And I've got to come to terms with what I am."

* * *

Ron charged up the stairs to find Dana standing alone in Kim's bedroom. She was standing next to the open window holding a piece of paper in her hand. "Mrs. Dr. P?" he asked.

"She's gone," came the whisper as she stared out the window. "She's gone."

"What? Where'd she go?" As gently as he could, Ron steered her to the bed and sat her down. Then, he pried the paper from her and read it.

_Mom, Dad, and Ron,_

_I need to go away for a while. The fight with Monkey Fist really showed me that there's stuff about myself I don't know anymore. I'm going away until I know who Kim Possible really is._

_I know you'll try to find me, so I've left my kimmunicator and anything else Wade might be able to use to track me down. I know this is hard for you, but I really really need to do this. I use to believe I could do anything, but now I don't know if I can do ANYTHING. _

_I love you all,_

_Kim_

Ron tossed the letter toward the bed and raced out the back door of the house. Looking off into the distance, he tried to spot the flying figure of his best friend. As Rufus rose from his pocket to climb up to his shoulder, Ron swallowed once then looked at his pet and said, "She's gone, Rufus."

"Gone," came the sad reply. The two stared at the blue sky for a long time.


End file.
